ALDER
by Flamebreeze
Summary: My sincere apologies for not posting for such a long time-- but i made up for it, i hope. About a girl named Alder, who discovers a new magic, and herself. How will her appearance in the capital change the future for some people? R&R PLEEEEASE!?!
1. Default Chapter

A knock on the door woke Alder from her seldom-gotten sleep. "Alder?! Wake up! You've slept in late." Alder's nanny Lindsay opened the door a crack to see if she was awake, then as she turned and closed the door, Alder distinctly heard her mutter "Again."  
  
Of course. I meant to sleep in JUST to spite everyone. Not. But that is the way father will take my absence!  
  
Alder was a tall girl for her age. At fourteen, she stood 5'8". Her medium length brown hair almost looked red in the sunlight, which was strange because her father had had brown hair. Before he lost it with his youth, anyway. Her mother had had dark brown hair too, but had died of some disease when Alder was ten. If mother were still around, she'd let me eat with the servants instead of breakfast at daddy dearest's high table.  
  
"ALDER!" Lindsay screamed from down the hall in the servant's quarters.  
  
"OKAY! I'm coming, in a minute… Patience is a virtue, you know!" Alder yelled back. One that I do not possess… Alder hastily dressed herself in a plain fawn-brown frock. She always dressed with simplicity, which often resulted in uttered whispers on her peers' and siblings' parts. But she didn't care what they thought. They were just air-filled puppets. She didn't need them.  
  
She had her books. She had her horse, Magic. She had Jocelyn, her only friend. Alder had always been an outcast, as had Jocelyn. Jocelyn was always timid, and quite shy. She was nice, but Alder wanted more in life than books, a horse, and a friend who was so shy it was hard to even conduct a simple conversation without her being afraid of upsetting Alder. It became quite frustrating sometimes, but it was better than nothing.  
  
She slipped out of her room, and quickly ran down the stairs, and tried to make the most unobtrusive entrance into the Dining Hall. It would be nice not to have been noticed, but considering her saved seat was three down from her father's, it was a fat chance. She skirted the tables gracefully, still trying to become invisible. Apparently, she was good at it, because no one saw her. They seemed to be looking straight through her. Usually her Aunt Elizabeth would have reprimanded her by now, but even her keen eye seemed to slip right over her. Strange, but strange can be a good thing, Alder thought, and smiled to herself. She came to her seat, and pulled it out and sat down.  
  
"Alder!" Her father started in surprise. "I didn't see you coming. How is my loveliest daughter today?"  
  
"Loveliest? Doubtful." Her sisters' glares subsided, partially. "I happen to be quite plain, and though you don't recognize that, they obviously think so!" she muttered under her breath.  
  
All of her sisters were much prettier than her, or so she had always thought. She had three sisters, and two brothers. Olivia, the eldest sister of them all, was taller than even Alder, had rich dark hair, and startling blue eyes. She was beautiful. Too bad her personality is less-than- beautiful. Her twelve-year-old sister Lily was just as pretty, but unlike Olivia she had a mind and even temper. The small age gap between Alder and Lily invoked jealousy on both parts, impairing their otherwise friendly relationship. Lily was jealous of Alder's age and the responsibilities and privileges of a lady that went with it. She was also quite contemptuous that Alder didn't want those responsibilities.  
  
Alder was always jealous of how everyone loved Lily. She always got attention for her looks and extravagance, and just once Alder wanted to experience the attention being only on her, without her having gotten into some kind of trouble. Her youngest sister, Kate, was just as placid as Lily. She was a passive little child, much more passive than Alder ever was. She was only six, and thus quite childish.  
  
Alder's two brothers were eighteen and fifteen. They were both quite handsome, but they were always rude to Alder. They seemed to be copies of each other in every way, and Alder liked neither of them. They ignored her, and barely acknowledged that they were related. Not that I would care for the company of two pigheaded, stubborn males.  
  
"Really, Alder," came the voice of her Aunt Elizabeth waking her from her reverie. "You just… appeared! And you are late, young lady," she snapped. Alder just mumbled an apology. She was used to this, as she was always late. She was always scolded. What I would do to be out of here. I don't want to follow the rules of my aunt.  
  
Her father meant well, but he just didn't understand girls, especially those going through adolescence like Alder. There was nothing binding her to Callista. She was the fourth born, and thus would not inherit her mother's bower, much less the whole holding. Not that I'd want it. Jocelyn would grow up to be some scholar's little wife, and knowing her that's the way she'd like it. She had some other friends; she wouldn't miss Alder, would she? But where would she go? She had very little money, and even fewer valuable possessions. She wasn't good at much.  
  
She might as well stay here and grow up to be a lady. Then she would marry some scholar of her own, and would live enclosed in a bower with twittering maids all around her. Somehow, that didn't sound too appealing to Alder. She wanted to do something with her life.  
  
(  
  
Alder was shut up in her room reading, as usual. There wasn't much to do at Callista besides riding her horse, Magic, and reading. She had always wanted to learn how to defend herself from predators, but her Aunt Elizabeth and her father wouldn't allow it. It wasn't "ladylike". Elizabeth was trying too hard to take on a motherly role for Alder, but in Alder's opinion she was failing miserably. Elizabeth only wanted another lady to marry off and bring in dowry-monies. She didn't care much for Alder's attitude, or her plain dressing styles. Nothing like a mother. Nothing like Alder's own mother. No one would ever replace her.  
  
I wish I could get out of here! I am not a lady, and if I have my way I never will be! As if in response to her wish, there was a knock on the door. Lindsay opened the door and said, "Alder, someone is here to see you. She is looking at all the children of Callista to find any mage-talent. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you…" she sneered. "How could you ever have magic?" she scoffed.  
  
Not bloody likely. It would be funny to see their faces if I DID! Alder politely followed Lindsay to a bench outside the meeting room. Lindsay hastily left muttering about how mages gave her the chills.  
  
Two minutes later, Lily came out, looking quite relieved. "Your turn. Good luck!" she whispered. Alder hoped beyond hope that she was mage-gifted. Out of the past five generations, only her great grandmother had been mage- talented. Most likely because her Outland father had been very strongly gifted. Even then, Alder's great grandmother had only enough of the Gift to become a hedge-witch.  
  
Alder quietly opened the door and slipped into the meeting room. On the couch was a tall woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had long dirty blonde hair pulled back in a braid. She had very muscled features, and her eyes were a stunning sliver. Though the color in her eyes was stormy, her eyes seemed to radiate warmth and friendliness. Immediately Alder liked her.  
  
"Good morning! My name is Keren. I presume you know why you are here?" Keren asked. Her voice was kind of husky. It was deep and rich. Alder enjoyed the sound.  
  
"My name is Alder. I am supposedly here to be tested to see if I am mage- gifted. I don't quite understand what a mage-gift is, though, besides the colorful blasts of something."  
  
"Well then!" Keren laughed. "First off, the mage-Gift is the manipulation of energies. If you are mage-talented, I'll explain that later. There are also other types of magic that aren't seen, and often aren't felt. This is Mind-Magic. It includes talking mind-to-mind, Fetching, Thought-sensing, Fire-starting, Far-sight, Foresight, Empathy, and Healing/or Bardic Magic. I'll explain all those later if you do have magic. Now close your eyes and hold your hands out to me. Trust me, and open your mind. Don't resist me."  
  
Alder complied, putting her hands in Keren's. Somehow she knew she could trust Keren. She knew that she had to clear her mind of all thoughts. Suddenly she felt some sort of "presence" in the back of her mind. Under her eyelids she "felt" a blue-green glow. She felt the presence searching the dark unused corners of her mind. Gently, the presence withdrew from her mind. A silence filled the room. "Well then," Keren muttered.  
  
"Well what?" Alder asked.  
  
"You surely are mage-talented! Extremely so. I was just surprised because all of your siblings and relatives were completely devoid of mage-Gift. They didn't even show the least inkling of Mind-Magic, which is very common. By the way, do you always have a buzzing in the  
  
back of your mind?'  
  
Startled, Alder replied, "Y-yes, I suppose so. How do you know? Is there a way to get rid of it?"  
  
"Of course. The buzzing is actually just a part of Mind-Speech and Thought- Sensing. Which you have both in abundance. But I'll explain that later. First we have to talk about your future. If you don't get trained, your wild power may be unleashed and hurt something. The possibilities are dangerous. When you are afraid or angry, has anything… unusual happened?"  
  
"Well, sometimes when I'm scared or don't want to be noticed, I seem to become… I know it sounds crazy, but I seem to be invisible! Also when I really need something, or want something really badly, sometimes beyond hope they happen. It feels as though I somehow influenced them to happen…"  
  
"You probably did. You do happen to be the most mage-Gifted child I have seen in a long time. You have the widest variety of Gifts that aren't dormant that I think I have ever seen. You have Though-Sensing, Mind- Speech, Fire-Starting, Far-Sight, and a surprising amount of Empathy. You actually do have a little bit of Healing. It is impossible to detect Foresight. You don't have any Fetching capabilities… and you have a strong mage-Gift. On to business. I understand that your father and aunt dislike magic, and if this cursory little check wasn't mandatory, I have a feeling that I wouldn't have been allowed to see you. Your siblings don't have a trace of magic. You are the only one. How do you feel about that? How do you feel about magic in general?"  
  
  
  
"I- I uh… actually wanted to be Gifted. I read a lot of books about mages and sorcerers. Even though father doesn't approve of mage-craft, I've always wanted to see magic for myself. As for being the only one, I'd say it's for the better. I don't much like my family. I only have one friend here…" Alder found herself telling more to Keren than she had meant to, and blushed a furious red.  
  
"It's okay, Alder. You can tell me anything. And if it is all right with you, I'd like you to become my apprentice. You definitely need training, but I think that (from what I have heard), that you might like a change of scenery, am I right?"  
  
Alder was dumbfounded. She had always wanted to be mage-talented. To think about it was one thing, to live it was definitely another! She was in a state of shock, and she was so overwhelmed with happiness that she could hardly think coherently. Of course she wanted to leave; that was her dream come true! Wait... Did I influence my body to carry magic? No… Keren said that the influence was caused by the magic. Alder's thoughts were filled with all of the times that something strange had happened when she was scared or upset. Everything in her life was falling into place. She was going to leave Callista and become a mage. From what Keren was saying, a very powerful one at that!  
  
"I-I… Yes! I want to go with you. Wait, where are we going anyways?" she exploded.  
  
Keren laughed good-naturedly. "If you and your father consent, we will be going to Brighton, the capital of Aletha. To the Palace."  
  
"The Palace?" Alder whispered. She had read so much about the Brighton Palace… How could I ever fit in there?  
  
"Yes, the Palace. I am one of the chief mages on the mage council. I also have two other protégés. You will train together with some other mages and myself. I do not happen to possess Fire-starting—"  
  
A knock on the door interrupted Keren. "Excuse me, I hope I am not interrupting your testing. It is time for our evening meal. Come…?" Alder's father said.  
  
"It's Keren. We have much to discuss, sir."  
  
"Well then, follow me…"  
  
(  
  
All through dinner, Alder anticipated a scene of some kind. She really wished she were already trained in Thought-Sensing. What I would give to know what Father and Aunt Elizabeth are thinking right now!  
  
Alder was trying to study their expressions without seeming to do so. Her father sported a very impassive expression. His jaw was set firmly, which told Alder that he was less-than-happy about Keren's revelations. Elizabeth's expression was much easier to read; she was scowling, her nose wrinkled in distaste. She looked to be in deep though. Probably thinking about how she could prosper from this, since she's losing another marriageable "lady" and her bridal gifts!  
  
Alder wrinkled her nose at the thought. One thing was certain; she never wanted to see Elizabeth again. She didn't want Elizabeth to benefit from this in any way.  
  
(  
  
:Alder. So far, things are going as smoothly as we could wish. That isn't saying much, but it's better than nothing. We need to hold a quick meeting.: Alder nearly hyperventi-lated. There was Keren's voice, inside her head, accompanied by the image of Elizabeth and father getting up and moving in the direction of the meeting room. She also felt that blue-green presence when Keren had spoken to her. Oh-my-LORD! What was that?? Alder thought at Keren.  
  
:Oh my… I'm sorry! I forgot that you had never been Mind-Spoken to before. Well, Alder, this is Mind-Speech! Don't try to respond this way, you need training first. If you'll allow me to read your thoughts, we can't talk without them hearing us. Okay?:  
  
Fine. Whatever. Alder slowly calmed her upset nerves, and followed the leading steps of Keren, her aunt, and her father. Alder quickly caught up with Keren, and whispered, "What is this about?'  
  
:Can't say this aloud. I am guessing that this is your aunt's last attempt at forbidding you to become a mage. Your father is just worried about the whole "magic" business.: Keren Mind-Sent her, and somehow Alder got the impression that Keren was amused by her father's "folly". They arrived at the meeting room, where Elizabeth and Alder's father had already been sat down.  
  
"Go ahead and sit," stated Alder's father.  
  
"Sir? I'm not good at diplomacy, so I'll get to the point—" Keren started, but was interrupted.  
  
"Call me Nolar. So—?" he prompted.  
  
"Since your daughter is mage-talented, she needs training. With your permission Id like to take her to the capital to be my apprentice," Keren said bluntly. :Without diplomacy, being so blunt that Elizabeth turns pale… same difference: she Mind-Sent, with overtones of laughter. Well said!  
  
Alder could barely keep herself from emitting a very unladylike snort at the look on Elizabeth's face. Her usually placid countenance was shattered. Her eyes were wide, and her eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into her hair. She was indeed pale, and her lip was curled in a snarl. Apparently she does not like the idea of my leaving to become a mage!  
  
A long silence followed Keren's bold statement, and was finally broken by Alder. "Please. This is what I want. I wouldn't do well as a lady. I am not patient; I'm clumsy, and quite unladylike. I want to be a mage. I want to go to Brighton with Keren. Please," she pleaded.  
  
"Alder, dearest, you know we support you… but magic? It's a crutch. It's uncivilized. You don't want that, do you?" Nolar asked.  
  
"Actually, Nolar, magic is quite civilized and quite useful. It's not a crutch. I will say that it isn't a necessity, in most cases. It is a convenience. It is also quite dangerous to leave her untrained. She could have an explosion that kills everything at Callista if she isn't trained. Now I wouldn't advise that… but maybe that's just me?" Alder couldn't help it; she started giggling. Though it was barely audible, Elizabeth still noticed.  
  
"Alder, this is serious. And your attitude is less than charming. I wouldn't want to burden you though, Keren. The child is a handful. But you do have my consent in the matter. I won't have Callista in danger just because of her…" Elizabeth said mock-wistfully.  
  
"My consent is given. She needs the training, and she will do something useful with her life," Nolar said.  
  
"In that case, Alder and I should leave tomorrow. Now I excuse myself. Come with me, Alder." She left the room, but Alder waited.  
  
"Thank you, Father. Thank you, Aunt Elizabeth. You won't regret it." Alder said, and turned to leave.  
  
"I love you Alder!" Nolar called.  
  
"I love you too," Alder whispered.  
  
(  
  
Alder woke early the next morning; the bright light of false dawn came through the window and into her eyes. She was restless and excited. Was yesterday just a dream? Did a mage named Keren actually take her as an apprentice? The idea seemed so wild!  
  
:Good morning, Alder. It wasn't a dream. Its Keren. You are my apprentice, if you still want it. I have been sensing for waking thoughts to see if you were awake. I would have awakened you soon enough anyway. We have to go, remember? Brighton is pretty far away. If we go fast, we'll probably have three days of travel. I want to make good time if we want to sleep indoors at an inn tonight.:  
  
Good enough. I couldn't sleep, so I packed last night. I said goodbye to the people that matter. Father will see us off later, but I said goodbye to Elizabeth… and my friend Jocelyn.  
  
:Okay then, let's get dressed and saddle up! You do have a horse, right?:  
  
Yes. Magic, my little gray gelding. He's placid but I'm afraid he doesn't have too much endurance. He is getting old. Alder thought at Keren.  
  
:When we get to Brighton, I'll get you a new riding horse. Now get ready!: replied Keren.  
  
(  
  
It was noon-time, and Keren signaled for a stop. Alder stiffly dismounted Magic and tethered her to a nearby tree. "Well, Alder. I think we should have our first lesson, shall we?" At Alder's nod, she proceeded. "First we need to teach you to shield. Shielding protects you from magical attacks, and keeps unwanted visitors from using Mind-Magic on you. It keeps out all active spells if the shield is strong enough. The only kind of spell it can't block is a passive spell like scrying (a form of foresight in the reverse, except it is predictable, and you control it.) D'you follow so far?" Keren asked  
  
"I... think so. Somehow I am beginning to think that this magic stuff won't be easy!"  
  
"Easy?!" Keren scoffed good-naturedly. "Where'd you get that idea? Well, anyway. Open your mind to me."  
  
Alder obeyed, and felt the now-familiar blue-green presence that was Keren entering her mind. :Follow me.: Alder followed Keren through her own mind. It was a strange experience, to journey into the depths of her mind. She always thought it was just a place for information. She had never really thought about it. Now Keren brought her to a "corner" of her mind and what she saw almost scared her out of the half-trance.  
  
There, in the dark corner of her mind was a bright pool of multicolored fires. :Your magic Channels are tangled. We'll have to fix that. The fire is your magic. The different colors are the different types of magic. We'll have to separate them. Magic is about believing. Do you believe this?:  
  
YES, Alder sent at Keren.  
  
:Then believe that you have mental hands.: Keren help out her mental hand to Alder, and Alder found her own mental hand and clasped hers in Keren's. Keren pulled Alder's icy blue presence up to the pool of fire, and showed her how to untangle the magic. To Alder's relief, the "fire" didn't burn her, but rather had a very cool soothing feeling to it. Once the Channels were separated, Keren withdrew from Alder's mind. "Now comes the hard part; shielding!"  
  
"Woo hoo…" Alder groaned. " I am sickened by such an optimistic manner. I surely thought hat was 'hard' enough. Just kidding… that was actually kind of fun!"  
  
"Good. Now, take your mental hands, and take them out of your mind and to the ground. Where the ground is physically, there will be a bright layer of copper mage-fire. That is nature and animal magic. I want you to attach your presence to the ground. Oddly enough, this is called grounding!" Keren smiled encouragement to Alder's confused look. "Just try it. It will feel right. Something will just click."  
  
Alder followed these directions, and sure enough, something did click. "Good!" applauded Keren. "Now make a link to the little ponds of power in your mind." Alder obeyed, and her power shapelessly swelled around her. "Now shape the power into a dome around you, and that is a shield! Be sure to check for cracks in the shield."  
  
Alder did so, and then felt a little shock of what she recognized as "magic power" hitting her shield. Apparently it was strategically placed, because the whole shield collapsed. "What was that for?" Alder demanded.  
  
"There was a crack! If someone actually put force on that bolt of power, you'd have been blasted. Cracks in your shields can be a mage's undoing. Now try again!"  
  
Keren drilled Alder in shielding so many times that she could have done it in her sleep, which she of course felt like doing. But she still had a long ride to get to the inn. And when they did stop at the inn that night, she fell asleep immediately after she had eaten dinner.  
  
(  
  
The next two days of travel went surprisingly fast. In the morning, Keren taught Alder basic magical theories and history. And to Alder, it was actually pretty interesting. When they stopped at noon time, Keren drilled her in those basic magics.  
  
It was the third day of their journey when Keren stopped Alder. "Look, off in the distance are Brighton's gates. Is the buzzing in the back of your head worse?"  
  
"Definitely. Sometimes I think I even hear words…" Alder said.  
  
"Okay, so now I want you to make a permanent shield. If you don't, once we get into Brighton, you'll get a headache from all the buzzing." Keren watched with Mage-Sight as Alder grounded and centered, creating her shield. She saw a quick repair of cracks. This was all done in a second Alder was so good at it. "Did the buzzing stop?"  
  
"Oh- silence! Yes, it is gone! Thank you!"  
  
"No problem, and now I get to teach you Mind-Speech! It is very important for you to be able to Mind Speak in Brighton. So- do as I told you earlier. Form the words in your mind, and make them with magic. Then push them out, and send them at me."  
  
:?: Alder sent. :!! I did it!:  
  
:Indeed you did, but you are also broadcasting your success to any Mind Speaker in range. So, be sure to think only at me. This is called private mode. What you just did is called public mode.:  
  
:Like this?: Alder didn't even need an answer; somehow the Mind Speech felt confined, and only for Keren's "ears".  
  
:Indeed. And now we are prepared to enter Brighton. Mount that aging horse of yours and let's go! It's probably going to take two candlemarks.:  
  
(  
  
What am I doing here? I'll never fit in the big cities… What if Keren's other apprentices font like me? She hasn't told me anything about them, besides that she has them.  
  
:Alder, it will be fine. You aren't shielding properly, and as a Mind Speaker you are projecting your thoughts to other Mind Speakers within a range. Anyways, if you want to know, I have a protégé named Damon, and another named Avery.:  
  
That helps… she thought, this time shielding her thoughts. They were approaching the gates at a trot.  
  
"Heyla! Is that Keren I see?" called the guard from the gate. "And who is Keren's new apprentice?"  
  
"Aeric, good to see you! This is Alder of Callista. What news?" Keren yelled to the guard.  
  
"Not much. Tonnar and Emelis are still feuding, worse than ever. I expect the Queen will be wantin' to see you soon 'nuf. You have been gone more than a month!" Aeric said.  
  
"Well Lissa can wait! I must show Alder her quarters; introduce her to my other apprentices. and even with a Royal order requesting my presence at Court, I'll be taking a bath! I can't look like the travel-worn grungy thing that I am, it would be a disgrace to Lissa."  
  
To this, Aeric laughed warmly. He opened the gate, and without further ado Keren and Alder trotted into Brighton. Alder's first impression was that it was big. Her own holding at Callista could have fit into the first couple of warehouse buildings on the brightly lit road. Judging the horizon, it seemed to be about two candlemarks until dinner.  
  
As they progressed along the road, it was obvious that there was a certain layout to the city. The storage warehouses were on the outskirts, then peasants' houses, and then small businesses. Then came richer people and nobles' homes.  
  
And then came the Palace. All of Callista could have fit in the building, with a ton of extra room. It was beautifully sculptured with gray marble, and looked to be four stories high, with towers. There were three separated buildings to the left of the Palace. Then to the left of those buildings were the stables. There were riding paths all around the Palace. One branched off and went to a huge grassy field. On the right of the Palace were many gardens.  
  
They passed the Palace's checkpoint quickly and entered the Palace Courtyard. "Pay attention; the way to our rooms can be complicated," Keren said, and went down the twisting corridors.  
  
"Like I'll ever be able to find my way around!" Alder announced.  
  
"Of course you will. It may take awhile though…" Keren said. They turned a corner, and reached a dead end. There was a door with a plaque saying, "Keren of Brighton. Avery of Emelis. Damon of Teirspeak. Alder of Callista."  
  
"What? Who—? How did they know?" demanded Alder.  
  
"I Mind-Spoke Damon to have the Goldsmith engrave your name here. This is your home." She said, and opened the door to a suite of five rooms. The first room had a table and many comfortable chairs by a fireplace. And in those chairs were a boy of about sixteen and a girl who looked to be fifteen.  
  
"Damon; Avery, this is Alder, my new apprentice. Alder, these are my other protégés."  
  
Damon got up to greet her first, while Avery seemed to be studying her. "Welcome to Brighton, Alder. I'm sure you'll be happy here. I hear from Keren that your magical stores are so great that you are some kind of prodigy child. Such praise from Keren is high praise indeed!" Damon was very tall. He had short blonde hair and green eyes, and he had a muscular build. Strangely enough for his apparent age, he had streaks of silver in his blonde hair. He was very tan, and looked as though he had spent a lot of time in the sun. Avery, on the other hand, contrasted Damon. She had long ebony hair, and bright blue eyes with a hint of violet in them. She was shorter than Alder, but then again most girls were. She looked to be 5'6". She, too, had tan skin and a muscular build. She was extremely pretty. Alder blushed at Damon's words. "Thank you, I guess," she said, at loss for words.  
  
Avery came to her rescue, "Enough, Damon. Nice to meet you, Alder! Would you like to see your room?" Avery asked warmly.  
  
"Uh- yes. That would be nice. Thank you," she said, and followed Avery into her new room. The room had a comfortable looking bed, a bed-stand, a bookcase, and a closet. It didn't have many furnishings, but it was cozy. IT was better than Alder's room at Callista, at any rate! There was a door in the back, and Alder timidly went and opened it. It led to one of the pretty Palace gardens. It seemed that Keren, Damon, and Avery's rooms had similar doors to this garden. It was beautiful. There were more types of flowers than Alder could even recognize.  
  
"So what do you think?" called Avery from inside. Alder came back inside the room.  
  
"I- it's beautiful!" Alder stammered, and Avery giggled good-naturedly.  
  
"Knowing Keren's grueling riding pace, you are probably dying for a bath, a change of clothes, and food. In that order. I could take you to the bathhouse if you want?" Avery asked, nailing every one of Alder's desires perfectly. She felt dirty and saddle-sore.  
  
"That would be wonderful. You assumed correctly." Avery led her to the bathhouse, and left her to soak for awhile. That left Alder to her flustered thoughts.  
  
I am so lucky to be here. Keren could have given me rudimentary lessons and left it at that, but she has actually made me her apprentice! And her other apprentices seem quite nice, Alder thought.  
  
Alder, in all her fourteen years of age, had never had a "crush" on a boy. She had been friends with boys… one of the guys. Well, at least until her obnoxious brothers told her friends that she wasn't worth hanging around with because she was just a girl. Not wanting to risk the heir's displeasure, they immediately abandoned her and pretended that she didn't exist. Guys had never really been "attractive" (or what she understood of the term "attractive") to her. She had always thought that it was better that s he wasn't attracted to them, because it could be quite a mess if she fell in love with a friend, or worse, all of her friends who couldn't acknowledge her existence. Damon is handsome. He seems nice, too. I wonder why I am not "attracted" to him… I suppose I probably am, but can't recognize the feeling because I haven't felt it before. I don't know. It doesn't matter. Whatever happens, happens.  
  
At Callista, Alder had always been teased for being a tomboy. They laughed at her just because she hadn't shown an interest in guys yet. She was still young— she was bound to fall in love at some time or another!  
  
:Alder, sorry if I am disturbing you. Just making sure that you haven't fallen asleep in the bath! It has been one-and-a-half candlemarks. Dinner is ready here in the common room. Why don't you come join us?: came Keren's Mind-voice.  
  
:I was spacing out. I didn't even realize that the water is already cold! I'll be there in a minute, I need to dry off and get dressed.: Alder sent, and shivered.  
  
Alder quickly rinsed in hot water, dried off, and then pulled on a light blue satin dress that beautifully accented her eyes. She left the bathhouse and carefully retraced her steps back to the suite. Keren was sitting by the fire, reading. She was dressed quite casually. Suddenly, Alder felt as if she had over-dressed. She slipped quietly into the room, and she looked down at her dress, but she only saw the rug. "Oh-my-GODS!" yelped Alder.  
  
Keren looked up from her book, but was clearly puzzled. "Alder? Where- where are you?"  
  
"I'm right through the door! Why am I invisible?!" Alder cried.  
  
"Wow. I just looked in your direction with Mage-Sight—and all I see is your outline in a mass of pure power. Are you okay? How did you do that anyways?" said a shocked Keren.  
  
"I-I was solid, but then I saw that I was way over-dressed for dinner and I got nervous, and when I looked down I wasn't there! I'm fine… just—when will this go away?"  
  
"Presumably when you calm down. Why don't you go change if you are nervous?"  
  
"I—okay." Alder went and changed, and found that she was visible again. Relieved and with renewed confidence, she went into the common room. At the supper-table was Damon, dressed in fancy breeches, and Avery wearing a green silk dress. Alder had to keep herself from laughing outright.  
  
(  
  
All throughout dinner, Keren acted as if nothing at all had happened, for which Alder was grateful. She might have gone invisible again had Keren embarrassed her like that! She wasn't used to being the center of attention, and certainly didn't want to start by having Keren tell Avery and Damon that she turned invisible when she was nervous or embarrassed. The spotlight would be on an empty seat.  
  
Once dinner was over, Avery retreated to her room while Damon went to read by the fire. She was about to sit beside him when Keren Mind-Sent her. :We need to talk. Would you please come to my room?:  
  
Alder quickly changed her direction before Damon noticed her. She went to Keren's room and quietly pushed open the door. "I suppose this is about the whole 'invisibility' thing. Are you going to teach me how to block it?" asked Alder.  
  
"It is about your ability to disappear. Alder, this is unprecedented. This is some new magic that we haven't discovered. This is serious, if spy mages knew how to become invisible. Aletha would be in trouble. Assassins could easily get in to the palace—and who knows what would happen. Were you trying to become invisible?" asked Keren gravely.  
  
"I was really embarrassed. I didn't try to do it. I think it has happened before, but I never looked at myself then."  
  
" It seems that somehow your emotions are tied into your magic. Or rather, tangled. Or there is the possibility that anyone could do it. Now—think of how you felt then. Try to do it again."  
  
Alder tried to remake the moment, but couldn't. She tried several times with no results. She willed herself into a light trance and searched her magic Channels. She tried to remake the scene again, and she saw a silvery- blue magic welling and making a new puddle. She quickly held onto the magic and set up a new Channel with it. Then she took the magic, and "covered" herself with it. She thought about invisibility, and then heard Keren gasp in surprise.  
  
"Alder, you are invisible. Can you call it off? Then try it again." Keren requested. Alder dissipated the magic back into her Channel, and tried again. This time she felt Keren's "presence" watching what she did. "Did you make that Channel yourself? I don't remember seeing that when we untangled your magic…?"  
  
"When you told me to remake the scene, I was watching my magic, and new magic was forming so I seized it and made it into a real Channel. Now its there to stay, I guess."  
  
"Well, now that this magic is in Channel-form, you can shield it. Then it won't involuntarily make you become invisible. I still don't get it though. All magic has a theory behind it (besides foresight). You have this magic, but no one else in the Mage-Chronicles has shown the ability to disappear. But maybe this is tied into Empathy? You do have an extremely strong Gift of Empathy, one of the strongest that I have ever seen. It did respond to emotions…" she trailed off.  
  
"Keren, I don't know the first thing about magic. If I were you, I wouldn't be asking me!"  
  
"Okay. You've had a long day anyway. And a longer day for tomorrow! We must get you introduced to the court, and to Lissa. That will be at noon time. When that's done, Damon or Avery could tour you around the palace. How does that sound?" asked Keren.  
  
"Sounds busy. It sounds fine. And if I'll be busy tomorrow, I should get sleep now, right? THAT sounds good!"  
  
Keren laughed and then made shooing motions at Alder. "Off with you then! Good night, Alder. Welcome to Brighton."  
  
"Goodnight, Keren. Thank you—for everything." Alder rushed up and gave Keren a hug, and then ran off to bed.  
  
"Alder. Goodnight. Sleep well. You've got a big day ahead of you. Keren told me that you have a reception at Court tomorrow?" came Damon's voice by the fireplace. Alder hadn't noticed that he was still there.  
  
"Yes, I do. Thank you. Are you going to sleep?" Alder asked.  
  
"Yeah, I was just about to sleep. See you tomorrow." This was a clear dismissal, and Alder took her leave and went into her room. Even with all of her racing thoughts about her first (busy) day at Brighton, she quickly dropped off to sleep.  
  
(  
  
Alder woke to the sound of knocking on her door. From the amount of light streaming in through the window, it looked as if she had slept in late. Startled, she awoke immediately. "Come in!" Alder yelled.  
  
Avery quietly opened the door and walked in. "Good morning! Keren is off at the tailor's getting a new dress tailored for Court today. She told me to wak you if you hadn't awakened by two candlemarks till noontime, which it is. Breakfast is out in the common room, and if you need any help in getting ready for court, I'm here." She turned on her heel and receded by to her room.  
  
Court. Today. Well then. I need to eat and wash up. Alder got some clothes on and went into the vacant common room for breakfast. She quickly ate a small breakfast and found her way to the bathhouse. She couldn't eat much because her stomach was upset by nerves. She soaked in the bathtub and rinsed her hair carefully.  
  
Then it struck her. What did you wear to be presented at Court? I don't have any dresses suitable for a Court…and I can't be presented to the Queen if I look like the peasant that I am. The point of this is to make a good impression.  
  
She got out of the bathhouse once she had dried herself off and dressed. Getting dressed just to walk down the hall and dress again! She opened the door to their suite and started off to her room. Damon was absorbed in a book in the corner, and Avery wasn't in sight. Probably in her room, Alder thought.  
  
"Good morning. How's it coming, Alder?" asked Damon, snapping his book shut. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement.  
  
"This may seem…girlish, but I just realized that I don't know what I'm going to wear…and I say this in the least girlishly stupid way." Alder laughed.  
  
"Well, I live with two girls, I'm used to the way that they take a long time to dress. Now I live with three girls! It's not a problem though. I had three sisters, and they cared much more about what others thought of them than Keren and Avery—and you, since you make it a point to tell me that you say that in the least self-conscious way of a female." Damon smiled, and Alder laughed. "You should ask Avery what to wear."  
  
"She has already offered, and I guess that's the best thing to do. Well then." She smiled, and turned to Avery's room. "Avery?" she called, and knocked on the door to her room. Avery opened the door and smiled when she saw who it was.  
  
"Hey, Alder! I suppose you want help deciding what to wear for Court?" asked Avery.  
  
"Want? Need is more likely. I don't know what to wear that is suitable for a reception with the Queen," Alder commented.  
  
"Do you just need advice on what to wear, or do you want to borrow some clothes? We are about the same body build, you could fit my clothes."  
  
"Um—well I don't have any really nice dresses for receptions and stuff since Callista is pretty small and I never had to be introduced to my parents or relatives. So if I were to wear my own clothes, I'd only have one choice. Want to see it?" asked Alder.  
  
"Sure." Avery followed her back in to her new room. Alder still hadn't finished unpacking, and went searching through her bag. After a minute, she pulled out a slightly creased yellow dress. It had a low neckline and a flowing skirt, but the dress didn't flatter Alder's features. Not to mention that the color didn't look good on her. It was rather plain. It was a hand-me-down from Olivia.  
  
"It seems that my memory is distorted. My sister Olivia gave this to me two years ago and I thought it looked good on her—but then again she was beautiful and anything looked good on her!" Alder said mock-spitefully.  
  
"Well, you are beautiful, Alder. You just need clothes that flatter you," Avery said timidly. Alder smiled.  
  
"Thank you. So, what should I wear? I have no fancy outfits that I could wear in front of the Queen and her Court! Any ideas?" Alder asked.  
  
"Yes, actually. I have a couple of dresses that I think would look really good on you. Come," she beckoned, and jogged to her room. Alder walked into Avery's room, and she was already searching through her closet. Soon Avery came out with clothes draped over her arm. "Why don't you try this one on first?" Avery handed a long blue-green dress to Alder. Alder had never been very modest; in her opinion, she didn't really have anything to be modest about.  
  
So she took off her shirt. Avery flushed and carefully averted her eyes. "We're both girls, and anyways I was wearing a breast-band," Alder said as she pulled the first dress over her head. It fell gracefully to her feet, but hung strangely at her hips. It had pretty embroidery all over the top of butterflies.  
  
"We can do better than that…" Avery handed Alder another dress. This one was a dark blue silk. Avery turned her head away, fiddling with something on her bedside table. Alder thought nothing of it, and pulled the dress on. It fit well, but it was rather plain. "It seems my memory is distorted. I had pictured it more elaborate than that. Oh well, I saved the best for last." Avery handed over the last dress.  
  
Immediately Alder knew she liked it. It was a red silk dress, with beautiful black lace patterns over it. It was long and flowing, and the neckline was one that was usually quite flattering on Alder. She pulled the other dress off and folded it carefully, then pulled on the red dress. It was her favorite color to begin with, and it was flattering. Avery turned around and smiled. "That really is pretty on you. I knew it would be. Do you want to wear it?"  
  
"If you'll let me borrow it. It is so pretty! Thank you so much for helping me. I really appreciate it. I have nice enough shoes to wear with it, but what should I do about my hair?" Alder asked. Then she realized how stupid she sounded, and she laughed.  
  
"I'll do your hair for you." At Alder's nod, Avery sat Alder down on her bed and sat down behind her. She reached to her bedside table for her brush, and started brushing Alder's hair. Why do I set myself up like this? Avery wondered. She piled Alder's flowing hair elaborately. She twisted it into a bun and tied it up. "Turn around," Avery said. Alder complied with a smile on her face.  
  
Avery brushed a fly away from her face, with some strong emotion in her eye that Alder couldn't read. She could tell that it was guarded. "You look great. The Queen will be jealous! Just kidding. Have you ever put on make-up? I think a light lip rouge would look good on you. What do you think?"  
  
"Sounds great, but I don't know how to put it on well." Avery jumped up and went rummaging in her closet again. She pulled out a little brown case. She opened it and pulled out what Alder assumed was the eye shadow.  
  
"Close your eyes!" Avery said, and laughed.  
  
(  
  
When Avery was done with her, Alder looked beautiful. She was quite surprised at what she saw. I simply am not plain anymore! she thought, and giggled at the oxymoron. Avery was over by her mirror fiddling with her own hair. "You really do look great, Alder. Let's see what Damon thinks!" She dropped her hair and went to the door. She opened it. "Good. Damon is by the fireplace…" she muttered.  
  
"Announcing Alder of Callista, apprentice to Keren of Brighton, Chief Mage of the Council!" she projected loudly. Alder blushed, and timidly entered the common room. She did so gracefully, and then sat down while fluttering her skirts to lay around her. She waved her arm artistically, and looked up in to Damon's eyes.  
  
"Well, suitable for a reception with the Queen?" Alder demanded.  
  
"…More than suitable…You look—amazing. Keren is back, and she's getting ready in her room."  
  
"Speak of the devil, right?" came Keren's husky voice. She was wearing practical dress breeches, and a low cut blouse. The breeches were gold with silver lining, and the blouse was a rich sapphire that brought out the faded color in her silver eyes.  
  
Alder laughed. "Come to think about it, I couldn't really imagine you in a dress! Practical Keren."  
  
"Indeed. You look great, Alder. We have to go now, though."  
  
"Thank you, Avery! Bye," Alder said, and followed Keren out the door.  
  
(  
  
"Keren of Brighton, and apprentice Alder of Callista." Déjà vu, right? Alder thought, remembering. Avery's announcing comments. Keren motioned to have Alder follow her into the throne room. Alder reinforced her shields on the invisibility magic, fearing that she would disappear in front of the Court, and then entered the throne room.  
  
It was relatively small in comparison to what Alder had imagined, but it was still rather large. At the back of the room, the Queen sat on her throne, and who Alder presumed was the co-consort Prince Andrew. On the sides of the dais were many tables, all filled with nobles and the people of the court.  
  
"Keren! How good to see you back home. How the Mage Council has missed your advice!" came the deeply rich voice of Queen Lissa. On a first name basis with the queen, eh Keren? Didn't lead on that you are that powerful at court. Strangely, the thought calmed her nerves. Keren could handle any problems that Alder unknowingly got herself into. They walked down the aisle to the queen, where Alder dropped in a deep curtsey. The Queen actually stepped off her dais to engage Keren in a hug. Down to earth queen!  
  
"Welcome to Brighton, Alder! Amazingly, I have heard a lot about you, through Mind Speech. I hear that you have great potential," Queen Lissa said. "I also hear that there is something that Keren wished to discuss in private. If now is an acceptable time?"  
  
"Yes. Andrew, if you please?" Keren asked the Prince. He nodded, and exited through a barely visible exit through a curtain. Lissa followed, and Keren again motioned for Alder to follow her. Alder pushed through the curtain, and found herself in a dimly lit hallway. There were three doors along the hallway, and they opened and entered the second room. It looked to be a private meeting room for small groups. The room was furnished with a chair behind a desk, and two couches on the sides of the walls. Instead of taking the seats behind the desk, Andrew and Lissa gracefully sat down on a couch together. Keren and Alder sat on the couch opposite the Queen.  
  
"I take it this meeting has to do with magic, you, Alder, or all three!" Lissa said.  
  
"Two out of three. Alder apparently has discovered what I think is a new type of magic. She has found out how to disappear. This magic is abundant in her. It was linked into her emotions but she found a way to make it into a permanent channel. I was trying it last night after Alder went to sleep. After some trial, I found that I could do it too. That leads me to believe that anyone can do it. You know what that means."  
  
Lissa nodded gravely. "Anyone who figured it out can enter the palace unnoticed. That can either explain a lot of strange occurrences in the past or be linked to the future." To this, Andrew nodded.  
  
"We don't want to check every mage that comes into Brighton. That wouldn't even help! So—what are we to do about this?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Get mages to guard important guests and ambassadors, and yourselves. Also get mages to guard the gates with mage-sight," Keren said. Keren went on to explain the new magic to Lissa and Andrew and write up a set of orders for mage-guards. Then they went into technical and political issues concerning invisibility, in which conversation Alder got lost and tuned out, and started analyzing Lissa's and Andrew's features.  
  
Andrew was tall and had brown hair and green eyes. He was handsome, but he looked to be more scholarly than athletic. Lissa was surprisingly I shape and muscular. She had glossy brown curls past her shoulders, with bright red lips, blue-gray eyes, and a weathered face. Her features shower her serious, although gentle nature. The talking came to an end, and Keren stood up saying, "If that's all for now? There isn't anything that can be done right now, or today for that matter. I wanted to introduce Alder to the mage council. Maybe they'll have ideas."  
  
"Okay then, Keren. I'll tell my advisors and the guard. Remember, we can't announce this at the Council. The Emelis and Tonnar ambassadors would kill for this information," Lissa said, and Andrew nodded.  
  
"Anything new happening?" Keren asked.  
  
"Only that Emelis has taken the defensive, and Tonnar is attacking with aquis. Emelis is appealing to the council for help defending itself with mages. Everyone has been anticipating your return as the head mage on council, because Jonas just isn't ready to lead council sessions, especially with the ambassador from Tonnar in his face." Lissa gave a look of distaste.  
  
"May the gods give us patience," Keren said, exasperated. "By your leave, Alder and I shall make ours. Good afternoon, Andrew, Lissa. It's good to see you again."  
  
"And you, Keren. We've missed you." At this, Keren got up and went to the door and left. Alder followed her back down the dark corridor in a state of shock.  
  
"I didn't know receptions were so…person? By the way, what is aquis?" Alder asked.  
  
"The Queen and I are friends. Aquis is a newly developed weapon that Tonnar discovered. It can basically be described as liquid fire. The results are absolutely devastating," Keren said gravely. She pushed through the curtain into the bustling throne room. Barely five seconds later, Keren was surrounded with people. Alder went and sat on a bench in the corner. She felt very self-conscious being alone. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (I hadn't split the original book into chapters, but this is where I left off last time. R&R, please!)  
  
Disclaimer: None of Mercedes Lackey's stuff is mine (too bad). The characters are original. The only real reason I put it under ML is because I used some of her knowledge on Mind-Magic and Mage-Gift. That's it. Don't sue me, I'm broke.  
  
And then she wasn't alone anymore. A middle-aged man had come to sit beside her. He had dark brown hair and even darker eyes. "I am the Ambassador of Tonnar. Call me Tyrel. I understand that you are apprentice to Head Mage Keren?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Along with Damon and Avery," she said timidly. At the mention, of Avery, the man scowled.  
  
"I happen to be a mage, too. I also think that I am more suited to your particular abilities and more suited to be your mentor than Keren. She is already Head Mage with two other apprentices. Not to mention that one of the apprentices is a corrupted demon-child. I am sure you would rather come with me?" the man asked icily, and a chill went down Alder's spine.  
  
"Not to be rude, but no, sir. Keren has assured me that she has enough time. And I have met the other apprentices. Neither seem corrupted in any way sir," she replied just as coldly.  
  
"I would watch out for the girl. Avery, I think. She has been known to attack the people who anger her. She- sadly, the girl is mentally unbalanced," he said mock sympathetically.  
  
"Doubtful. She seemed quite sane enough to me. Sir," she said coldly, when Keren appeared at her side.  
  
"Tyrel. I see that you have met my apprentice, Alder," Keren said patiently.  
  
"I have, and what a charming girl she is! Now, Keren, you overwork yourself! I would be happy to take her off your hands."  
  
"She is no burden on me. Thank you for your offer, but I am quite sure I can handle my duties adequately. Maybe you should do yours before you get an apprentice. Now Alder and I must go. Goodbye, Ambassador," Keren said formally, and then abruptly turned on her heel, Alder barely a step behind.  
  
"He is- there's no other word… greasy. He seemed so fake," Alder stated.  
  
"Right on both counts. He is a rather nasty person to get involved with. I'm sorry that I didn't notice sooner. I talked with the mages. I have to go to an emergency meeting over the Emelis-Tonnar feud, and also the invisibility magic. Looks to be a long day. Can you make it back to the suite by yourself? I'm sorry that this is so short-notice. I am sure Avery or Damon would like to show you around," Keren said regretfully.  
  
"I can make it back on my own. Thank you, Keren," Keren patted her back affectionately, and left Alder to find her way back.  
  
Alder had taken a wrong turn, and continued in the wrong direction until Damon's MindCall set her in the right direction. As she neared the door, she looked at the plaque on the door again. Avery of Emelis. So that's where that name was familiar.  
  
Alder entered the room and was greeted by Avery herself. "How was your reception?" she asked.  
  
"Uh- interesting would be the best word. I wasn't informed that Keren was a good friend of the Queen! We had to go into her private office to talk about a new magic or something-rather. Then I went and happened to make the acquaintance of a certain Ambassador Tyrel of Tonnar. Now wasn't that I lovely experience? Not quite," she said spitefully.  
  
"Tyrel. You met Tyrel? I bet he had many charming things to say about me! What did he tell you?" Avery asked, looking eager and slightly disturbed.  
  
"Basically that you are mean, possessed by demons, mentally unbalanced, and corrupted. He told me that you hurt people that anger you. Now, I highly doubt those things!"  
  
"You can judge for yourself whether I am mean or not, but I am not possessed by anything other than my own strong will. I think everyone is slightly mentally unbalanced, but I am just as sane as you or Keren! As for hurting people, he got that idea because his damned nephew tried to harass me and didn't know that I could fight back and defend myself. It was purely self protection, and I did NOT enjoy it under anyone's standards!"  
  
"You aren't at all mean. About his nephew, that is horrible! Did you tell anyone?"  
  
"Keren, Damon, and my other mage-teacher Syris. And my riding-teacher Kat. They brought it before Council, but couldn't give any real punishment because of Tyrel. He argued that I was just out to get anyone from Tonnar just because I am from Emelis. Tyrel and his nephew are both nasty, conniving man," she stated bluntly.  
  
"Ever since I got here I have been hearing about Tonnar and Emelis. What's the deal?" Alder asked.  
  
"It's a long story, but to make a long story as short as possible, there were two friends who wanted to found a city a long time ago. Their views on how to settle and make a holding differed greatly. They split, and made two cities: Tonnar and Emelis, both named after their founders. Tonnar became greedy, and tried to take over Emelis's fortress, but couldn't get past its defenses. Ever since then there has been a land feud. Last year, to try to make peace, Emelis's leader's second daughter was going to be married to Tonnar's heir to the holding. The wedding was to be held at a mid-point between the two cities. Then, during the wedding, bandits came. They killed both bride and groom, and several guests who couldn't escape. I was lucky- I was there and I escaped. Sometimes I wished I hadn't," Avery whispered.  
  
"That's horrible! I am so sorry. What happened then?"  
  
"Tonnar took this twist of fate as a conspiracy against itself- and has been preparing to attack ever since. And last month, the attacks began. My dad made me go with Keren six months ago because he was worried for my safety and it was the safest place to get my training here in Brighton. I haven't heard from my family. And my sister was the bride in that wedding." Tears welled in Avery's eyes.  
  
"I wish there was something that I could do for you. I am glad that you escaped, though. I would be very lonely here without you." Alder handed Avery a handkerchief, with which Avery dried her eyes.  
  
"I'm okay. What hurts the most is that Tonnar is blaming the death of my own sister on us! It is just another excuse for them to attack us. For all I know they probably arranged the 'bandit' attack in the first place," Avery said, and sniffed. "Don't listen to Tyrel. He will hurt you," she said, her expression changing to a serious one. "Now why don't you change? I want to show you around. We could go get you that new horse that you need!" She smiled, and Alder went and got ready to go tour the Palace. And hopefully ride Magic, or the promised new horse!  
  
Avery saved the best for last. After touring the Mage School and the "Practice Room" (for practicing magic safely in a room full of shields), the Minstrel's Guild, and the Healer's building, they had finally arrived at the stables. The stables were huge, with rows upon rows of horses of every kind imaginable. Avery led her down one aisle, and near the end Alder found Magic.  
  
"This one is my pony. Keren told me I would be needing a new horse?" Alder asked.  
  
"Yes. This one is on the old side. Keren wanted to teach you trick riding and archery from atop a horse. She always says that there may be a time in your life when your magic reserves are depleted and you have to defend yourself through 'normal means'," Avery said, sounding very much like Keren. "You are going to need a horse with good stamina, on the younger side, and it's going to have to be one of the highly trained horses. So, I should introduce you to the Horse Master. Her name is Cassidy, but she hates the name. I rather like it, but anyways she goes by Kat," she laughed, and turned a corner into the last aisle of horses and knocked on a door.  
  
"C'min!" came a brusque female voice. Avery pushed the door open and entered. "Avery! Long time no see! Who is our guest?"  
  
"Kat, this is Alder. Alder, this is Kat. Alder is Keren's newest apprentice. Keren wanted her to get special riding lessons," Avery said.  
  
"Trick riding and archery?" Alder nodded. "Okay. Let's find a good horse for you then!" Kat stood up. "How much experience do you have in riding?"  
  
"Not much- I had basic lessons to stay ON a horse, but I wasn't allowed to ride much because it was 'unladylike'," Alder said, and Kat emitted a very unladylike snort that would have made Lindsay gasp in horror. Alder giggled at the thought.  
  
"The horses that I train for special purposes are usually well bred mares or geldings- in the last aisle on the left."  
  
"Nolar- my father- always bred stallions. That is what I learned to ride on. My horse here is an old gelding, since that is the only horse they wanted to part with. Why is it only geldings and mares, instead of stallions?" Alder inquired.  
  
"Stallions usually don't have the best tempers. They lose there heads when spooked or on a battle scene. They are also infamous for chasing after mares and geldings, which can most definitely be used against them," Keren said, and came to a halt at the last aisle. There were mares and geldings of every color. Alder walked down the line, offering her hand to the horses to sniff. One at the end of the aisle caught her eye. It was a beautiful jet-black mare, with no spots of color whatsoever. Its deep brown eyes showed real intelligence.  
  
"Alder ran her finger along the horse's flanks and checked its hooves and teeth. She patted the horse's neck, and it snorted with pleasure. "You know more than you think! That was a good check that you gave her. What do you think?" Keren asked.  
  
"Absolutely beautiful, for one. She seems patient (as she didn't stomp at me when I checked her hooves. You said yourself that these horses are specifically suited to what I need to learn. You said it was a she?"  
  
"Yes, and if you want her, she is yours. She is a particularly intelligent beast. One of my favorites to train. What will it be?" She asked.  
  
"I'll take her!" Alder exclaimed happily. "Does she have a name?"  
  
"No, she is yet unnamed. Go ahead!"  
  
Avery snickered. "How about… Cassidy? Cassie?" Avery and Alder both burst out laughing at the look on Kat's face.  
  
"Could you have spared my pride? No, shoulda thought of who I was asking. Bah! Young people today!" Kat said, mock-offended, and laughed.  
  
Alder was thinking of names for her new horse, and really looked at Kat. She looked to be in her late twenties, and was extremely tall. She was quite tan, probably from teaching equestrian in the sun every day. She had wavy dark red hair that was tied up in a ponytail, and hazel eyes. She was well-muscled and trim. She had full lips that had frequent smile lines around them. She dressed appropriately for the head Palace Horse-Mistress; She was wearing riding leathers. She was quite pretty.  
  
"I've got it! I want to name her Kaila. Kai for short," Alder pronounced. Kat bowned and touched the shoulders and forehead of the horse.  
  
"I hereby christen thee Kaila, with the power invested in me as Palace Horse-Mistress. Kaila, the noble steed of Alder of…" Kat's dignity vanished as she cocked an eyebrow up at Alder.  
  
"Callista," Alder supplied.  
  
"Kaila, The noble steed of Alder of Callista!" Kat said, resuming the grave face of dignity as she 'christened' Kaila. Avery and Alder laughed. "Avery, saddle up Casey and Nike. Alder, do you have tack?"  
  
"Yeah, but it is getting old, along with Magic."  
  
"Then let's get you some new tack!"  
  
AN- I have to go study for finals. I'll type more up later. 


	3. Chapter 3

"These horses have been trained to do many special stunts. Nike- up!" Kat cried, while squeezing her legs into her horse. Nike obeyed, lifting himself onto his hind hooves, his front hooves flailing in front of him. Alder involuntarily took a step backwards, leading Kaila on a lead rope. "Forward!" Kat commanded, and Nike hopped forward on his hind legs. Alder laughed; it was a funny sight. Though I am sure if I was in front of a horse doing that I'd be absolutely terrified of having my head bashed in! Alder shuddered.  
  
"This trick is usually used on the battle scene. This can be used to defend yourself if you don't have any weapons handy," Kat said calmly. Alder envied her, to stay so calm while balanced atop a rearing horse. That would take a lot of talent! "I have also trained these horses to guard things if command it. Down, Nike." Nike gently plopped down onto all four hooves. "We'll learn this once you and your horse are comfortable together and she responds well to her name. And once I am assured that you can stay ahorse under normal circumstances. So, mount up again, and take a trot around the field," she said, and patted Nike's neck.  
  
Alder mounted Kai and adjusted herself to the new tack. She took the reins in her hand and squeezed her knees. Kai started at a walk, and another squeeze quickened her pace to a trot. Kai's pace was perfect, and not at all bumpy like all the other horses she had ridden. She and Kaila trotted around the field, and came to a walking halt in front of Keren, who had been observing her.  
  
"Good posture and seating, but you have to work on your control of Kai. You have to lead her where you want to go, not what she is used to. I want to see you running your own course, don't let her control you. She is a steady horse, and won't throw you!" she said, and Alder nudged Kai into a trot again. This time, she pulled on the reins to turn every once in awhile. Kai, at first, wouldn't respond. Kat was right, you did have to show the horse who was boss. Kaila was testing her. She led Kai back to where Kat stood. "Good. We don't want to push the control on Kai, though. Why don't you have her follow Avery's Casey for awhile. She'll show you the paths. I have to get back to my office. It has been nice meeting you, Alder. Let's continue lessons same time tomorrow." At that, Kat turned Nike and trotted back to the stables. Avery came to join Alder. "D'you wanna see the waterfall and hot springs? They're really pretty," Avery offered. "Okay then. Let's go!"  
  
  
  
The waterfall was one of the biggest that Alder had ever seen. At the place where it all pooled together, it branched off in several directions. Alder followed a couple of the streams, to find that each one led to variously heated pools. "We didn't have anything like this in Callista. How were these created?" Alder inquired.  
  
"Magic. Specifically Mage-Gift," Avery said, while petting Casey.  
  
"Will I ever be able to do that?" Alder asked.  
  
"Yes, definitely. In time, once you learn good control and basic techniques."  
  
"That is so cool. I never imagined magic making stuff like this," Alder said, and felt the water in the pool nearest her. "This feels so good. If we didn't have our horses it would be nice to go in," Alder sighed, and got up.  
  
"We might as well go to the stables and groom our horses. Then we can go back to the suite, or wherever you want to go," she said, looking oddly relieved.  
  
The next day, Damon found Alder by the fireplace. "Good morning! Today you get your first Magic lesson with Syris. He is one of the rare few with the fire-starting Gift. Syris has most of the Mind-Magic gifts- but he doesn't have any Mage-Talent. Syris will teach you Mind-Magic, and Keren will teach you Mage-Gift. Then Kat is going to give you lessons in riding. You have quite a busy schedule. A candlemark after breakfast you come with me to Syris, then to Keren with Avery, then to Kat with both of us. Avery has some Mind-Magic, but only strong MindSpeech, small FarSight, and a small Fetching gift. She has already learned to the extent of her ability. So now she is focusing on Mage-Gift. Would you be ready to go to Syris in half a candlemark?" He asked.  
  
"Definitely," Alder said, and went to her room to change. In half a candlemark, she and Damon were out the door and on their way to the Mage School. As they walked into the courtyard, a man sitting in the garden waved at them.  
  
"Damon!" Damon and Alder jogged over to the man. "I suppose you are my newest student, Alder of Callista?" the tall man asked.  
  
"Yes, and I suppose that would make you my new teacher, Syris?" Alder returned, surveying him. Syris was extremely tall and dark skinned, with broad muscular shoulders.  
  
"That's me. Keren wasn't exaggerating. You DO have a lot of magical talent. It should be fun teaching you," he said genuinely. "Let's go inside." Damon and Alder followed him inside and down several hallways. "To practice magic, we go into the Practice Room. The shields in there can take anything short of an explosion big enough to ruin all of Brighton. No mage alone could do that, especially because we HAVE shields. Since we are using Mind- Magic, things are less likely to explode. The only things we really need shielded are your thoughts, and feelings if you are a projective Empath-and Fire-Starting. That is by far the most dangerous of the Mind-Gifts."  
  
"Shield feelings?" Alder wondered aloud.  
  
"In the Gift of Empathy, you project any certain feeling at another person. Or you could use Empathy to read emotions. In the beginning, you don't want your feelings to be projected to every sensitive Empath in Brighton, do you?"  
  
"Not particularly," Alder muttered.  
  
Alder and Damon followed Syris to the Practice Room. Syris held the door open and ushered them in. "Keren taught you shielding. Now I want to teach you how to use your abilities, not just to block them. Damon- can you go get Margot? I want you to practice projecting emotions and scenes together. You both need the practice," Syris said, and Damon let himself out of the practice room.  
  
"Let's first start with Fire Starting. Without training, that is the most dangerous MindGift. This room can't go up in flames, so don't worry. Now, hold your palm face up," he said, and Alder complied. "Later on you won't need to do this. Physical gestures seem to help a lot of mages. You really don't require all the silly waving of hands to get a spell in place," he said, laughing. "Now, send yourself into a light trance and find your Channels," he said, and after a minute she grunted for him to continue his instructions.  
  
"Find your Fire Starting magic. Now keep in mind: for your magic to work, you have to believe that it will work. If you don't believe you can do it, you won't. So, take a thread of your fire-magic, and imagine that you are forming a fire in the palm of your hand. Imagine that it isn't hot. That is always important!"  
  
Alder searched her Channels for her Fire-Magic. She quickly found it, and coaxed a wisp of power out of the Channel. She imagined that in her hand she held a ball of fire. She put the wisp of magic into that thought, and opened her eyes. In the center of her palm burned a ball of ice-blue fire.  
  
"Wow. Most of my students couldn't even get it in the first couple days of practice, much less on their first attempt. Good job! I am very much impressed. You also have the most unique fire-color that I have ever seen," Syris said, and held out his palm. Immediately a bright ball of crimson fire appeared. "With practice, you will be able to do it without much work, and it will come more quickly. Now extinguish your fire by taking out the thread of magic and funneling it through your center and back into the ground."  
  
Alder followed these directions, and the fire dissipated. "You are a natural at this! Now I want you to call fire and then extinguish it again. Practice makes perfect." Alder proceeded to practice until she felt quite exhausted, and had an extreme reaction headache.  
  
"Alder!" came Damon's voice, waking her from her trance. "You and Syris may not have heard it, but the noon bell rang. It's time for lunch," he said, and they bid farewell to Syris and went back to the Palace. Alder and Damon went back to their suite and Alder went to her room to change.  
  
Alder came back into the common room to find Avery and Damon waiting for her at the table. "We had lunch brought up here. We didn't think you'd feel up to going down to the cafeteria," Avery commented. "How was your first lesson with Syris?"  
  
"It went surprisingly well. He taught me the basics of Fire-Starting. He drilled me into the ground!"  
  
"Could you actually make fire?" Damon asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes." Alder said timidly. She put her palm out and called her ice-blue fire. After a moment, she extinguished it, and slumped back into her chair.  
  
"Syris did drill you into the ground! You are exhausted. Eat," Avery commanded. "I'm not hungry," Alder said, and Avery sighed.  
  
"I forgot," she mumbled. "You lose your appetite when you first start working with magic. You're going to have to eat anyways, if you don't want to collapse. I promise you, you will feel a lot better if you eat," she said.  
  
Alder picked up a sandwich and took a bite. She felt part of her body repulse the food, but then a wave of energy washed over her, and the objection in her stomach died. She then ate as if she had been starved, and the new energy made her feel human again. "I don't feel as if I was a walking shadow anymore, but Keren is probably going to ruin that soon," Alder said, and laughed.  
  
"That's what Keren is for!" Damon joked.  
  
"Speaking of lessons with Keren, we had better go soon," Avery intoned, and excused herself from the table and left to her room.  
  
A minute later, she came out, changed. "Let's go," Alder said, and went into the hallway. Avery soon followed. "Keren likes to work in a practice room in the Palace, right?"  
  
"Yeah- its near the basement, though. It is out of the way of the Court dining room," she said, as they reached a flight of stairs. Two staircases later they arrived in a dusty hallway. "Not too many people come down here," Avery said, after noticing the direction of Alder's gaze.  
  
"N-" Alder started, and sneezed. "Noticeably," she muttered thickly.  
  
Halfway down the hallway was a door with a tarnished silver plaque that read "Practice Room". Avery held the door open for Alder, and followed her in. This room was completely devoid of dust, but it did have an air of disuse.  
  
Two minutes later, Keren poked her head inside to see if they were there. She came in, saying, "Alder, Avery. First off: get your shields up. If I see that you have a weak spot in it, I might randomly strike with a Mage- bolt. Be forewarned!" Keren said mischievously.  
  
:Second, I want to only talk in MindSpeech. You both need practice.: she Sent, and smiled. :Today I want to teach you to mesh shields. In the future you may work together, and this is a vital skill for multi-person magical workings. I won't attack while you are trying to mesh shields, so don't worry. Now- take your "mental hands" and hold them out to each other. Alder, I taught you Mage-Sight. Use it to see Avery's hand.:  
  
Alder invoked her Mage-Sight. She could see Keren's presence watching them, and she soon saw the "mental hand" of who she guessed was Avery. She hadn't seen this presence before; Avery's was a glowing violet. She took her own mental hand and placed it in Avery's, and felt a strange sensation of warmth and the feeling that something was right. :Good.: came Keren's Mind- voice. :Now take your combined magics and mesh them together. Once you've done that, work together to make a shield.:  
  
At the same time, Alder and Avery pushed their magic into one another, and tried to mix it. Experimentally, Alder sent a wave of congratulations at Avery through their link. Seconds later, Avery sent the wave back. In unison, they pulled their meshed magic and formed a dome of blue-violet fire around them. Avery linked their power into the ground as Alder smoothed out cracks in the shield. :How is that?: Avery Mind-Sent.  
  
:Excellent. Good work.: Keren Sent, and they relaxed. Without realizing it, there was a fluctuation in the magic, and Keren took that moment to send a bolt of pure power at the crack. The shield's magic flew up and back down towards the ground, and reflected back up through Avery before they knew what had happened.  
  
On an impulse, Alder seized the magic and grounded it, and then dissipated it the way that Syris had taught her. Alder was panting by the time she was done. Avery's eyes were opened wide with shock.  
  
:I underestimated your combined force. I didn't realize that the reaction would be so. violent. I'm sorry. Good handling of the situation, Alder. Syris taught you that?: she asked, with overtones of stress in her Mind- voice.  
  
:Yes. I learned basic Fire-Starting today and he taught me how to dissipate magic. I thought the theory could be applied to Mage Gift, too.: Alder said.  
  
:Amazing. You really do keep your head in a new situation- which probably looked like a crisis. Avery, are you okay?: Keren Sent, and Alder looked towards Avery.  
  
She had gone quite pale, and looked faint. Her forehead was creased in a frown. Her arm was bracing her against the wall, and her hand was trembling. "I-I-" she started, and her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted into Alder's arms.  
  
"What happened?" Alder yelped.  
  
"Magical backlash. She was sick recently, and was left quite weak. I think that just put her body in shock." Keren said, while helping Alder adjust Avery into a manageable position. "We need to get her back to the suite. She refused to take a Healer when she was sick, and I wasn't here to make her see one. So now I am bringing in a Healer to see her. But how can I get her back to the suite and get a Healer at the same time? I want the Healer to be there when we get there," she said, running her fingers nervously through her hair.  
  
"I don't know where you'd get a Healer. She is light enough- I can carry her back."  
  
"Up three flights of stairs? Wait, I could spell her to make her lighter."  
  
"Will that make her condition worse?" Alder asked nervously.  
  
"No. Once you reach the room, the spell will be gone." Keren closed her eyes and a minute later, Avery barely weighed anything. "Thank you so much. Let's go." Keren opened the door and held it open for Alder. Alder quickly picked Avery up as if she was holding a baby. She made sure her neck was supported, and then walked down the hallway with Keren. After they had hastily climbed the three sets of stairs, they parted on different paths. Avery couldn't have weighed more than 5 pounds. Her lips were faded, and her face was pale. Alder looked upon Avery's limp body, and began to worry. Why isn't she waking yet? What if she is really sick? Her thoughts were haunted all the way back to the suite.  
  
Alder carried Avery into her room, and lay her down on the bed. She gently put her hand to Avery's forehead to find that she was burning up. Alder hadn't learned much about Healing at Callista, but she did know that when you had a fever, you sweated it out, and when you fainted, you were supposed to drink a lot of liquids. Alder went into the Common Room and set a pot of water to the fire to make tea. A dew minutes later, Keren and a Healer came into the Suite, and then to Avery's room. Alder paced the Common Room until the tea was done, and poured a cup. She knocked on the door to Avery's room.  
  
"Come in," came the muffled reply.  
  
"I made some tea for Avery," she said quietly. "How is she? When will she get better?" "She has not yet awaken. After checking her, it seems that she has not been sleeping well lately, and was previously weak due to sickness. Then I can detect that her mind is still in shock due to the magical backlash. Basically she is overworking herself and the magic attack put her over the top. The tea was a good idea. She does need rest. No lessons for a couple days. I am also giving her some herbal medicine that will help her sleep. She really just needs to take it easy. Bed rest for two days, at least. She'll be fine."  
  
"She'll be fine," Keren repeated, at Alder's skeptical expression. "And if I am correct, you do have a riding lesson with Kat soon. I'd understand if you are too jittery, but staying here won't get anything done. Gary says that she won't wake until tonight." Keren said. Gary, apparently the Healer, nodded.  
  
"I am staying here with Avery to work more Healings. Kat will be waiting for you." Gary said, and his eyes unfocused. "Amazing. You have Healing magic, too!"  
  
"More lessons?" Alder groaned. "My schedule is busy enough as it is!" She exclaimed. "You don't need Healing lessons yet. In the future, I think you'll want them. When you do, find me." Gary said.  
  
"You should go now, or else you will be late." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Alder!" came Damon's voice. She remained silent. "What's the matter?" Alder noticed that his tone had changed from excitement to worry.  
  
"Avery- she fainted. She is still unconscious."  
  
"What happened?" he asked urgently.  
  
"Magical backlash on top of previous sickness and bad sleeping habits."  
  
"Oh Gods. is she okay?"  
  
"The Healer said she will be fine, but I'm still nervous."  
  
"Well if Gary said she's okay, I suppose it was Gary, right? Keren and Gary are friends. I trust him, so I wouldn't worry," he said, and looked a bit less anxious.  
  
"Damon, Alder, good afternoon. Where is Avery?" Kat asked.  
  
"Unconscious with magical backlash, she's fine, though," Damon said quickly.  
  
"I hope she gets better soon. She has had bad luck with sickness lately. Well, saddle up," she said, and went into the stable to saddle her own horse, Nike. Damon and Alder walked side by side into their row of horses, and started putting on their tack.  
  
"What did you end up naming your mare?"  
  
"Kaila. Kai for short. What's your horse's name?"  
  
"Hunter, my lovely golden gelding," he said, and grinned. Once both of them had gotten their horses ready, they led them on to the front of the stables to find Kat already waiting for them.  
  
"Mount up! We're going to the riding field. I want to practice jumping today." They rode over to the field quickly, and Kat dismounted. She ran over to three poles that were lying in the grass. There were two holes in the ground in which Kat placed two of the poles. In the two poles were several notches, and Kat propped the third pole in the lowest notch. It was barely half a foot above the ground.  
  
"Jumping is kid of like bumpy trotting. Lean forward and squeeze your knees into the horse gently. Damon, why don't you demonstrate?" Kat prompted. Damon nodded, and trotted towards the poles. He squeezed his knees into Hunter, and hunter lunged over the jump.  
  
"You do the same thing that Avery does- you aren't leaning forward enough. Next time try it. It hurts to land if you don't lean forward, and you have more of a chance of falling," Kat said.  
  
Avery. I wonder if she's awake yet. Gods, I hope she's okay, Alder thought.  
  
"Do you want to try jumping?" Kat asked her.  
  
"Not particularly!" Alder laughed nervously, while Kaila picked up on the emotion and started stamping her feet. "Can I warm up around the field first? Please?" Alder pleaded.  
  
"Okay, go ahead. Damon, keep practicing," she said. At that, Alder nudged Kai into a trot. The field was beautiful and usually relaxing, but Alder's nerves were on fire. Her thoughts were focused on Avery, and the way she had looked when she had fainted into Alder's arms. So pale.  
  
All the sudden, Kai put on a burst of speed. Alder tried to turn her around, but she wasn't responding to the reins. She kept gaining speed, and Alder found herself losing her grip on Kaila's reins and the saddle. And then the last thing she saw was the stunningly blue sky. 


	5. Chapter 5

Alder woke with a start, to feel fire burning through her right leg. She had never felt pain so intense before. "What- what happened?" she asked into the darkness, and passed out again.  
  
When she came to again, she felt a wet cloth caressing her forehead. She opened her eyes to find Gary hovering over her leg, and Keren anxiously pacing through the back of the room. She stretched her neck backwards to see who had the wet towel, but couldn't see back far enough.  
  
"It's Damon," he said quietly, and at the murmur, Gary and Keren both stopped what they were doing.  
  
"You are awake. Good. How do you feel?"  
  
"My leg! What happened?" Alder yelped.  
  
"Kaila caught your nerves and got spooked. She started galloping and wouldn't be controlled. And then-you fell," Damon said, fear edging his voice.  
  
"You fractured a bone in your leg in two places. You are pretty bruised up, too. The swelling and bruising I can fix. but your leg has to be set in a bast to Heal on its own. You can not completely heal bones with magic. Now keep your mind clear of all thoughts," Gary said.  
  
"Alder had been professionally Healed twice in her life, and had come to recognize Healers' magic as a soothing green fire. Again, she felt the Healing magic enter her body. Immediately, the immense pain shooting through all of her limbs subsided, and Alder released a sigh of relief. Her leg numbed, and she could feel her left being moved into a straight line. Then Gary wrapped her leg in a gauzy material, and then some harder material. He joined the fabric or whatever it was with a spark of magic, and she found that she couldn't move her leg even if she had wanted to. He then put a couple pillows underneath her foot, raising her leg. "Stop swelling." Gary muttered, and then she felt the green fire easing her bruises, and her throbbing headache.  
  
"Thank you so much," Alder breathed.  
  
"No problem. You guys have had a bad day! So- we'll put you on crutches in a couple days. No horse-riding, of course. You'll have to stay in the cast for at least four weeks. I'll give you some painkilling medicine, and medicine to help your sleep," Gary told her.  
  
"How's Avery?" Alder asked anxiously.  
  
"Not yet awake. I was thinking; would you like to be moved into her room? I don't want either of you out of bed, and you might get lonely in here. Then you can both keep a check on one another. Killing two birds with one stone!"  
  
Alder sat in bed next to the still unconscious Avery reading by candlelight. Keren had provided her with her favorite books that she had brought from Callista, and some new reading from Avery's shelf. She was quite immersed in a book when Avery's weak voice interrupted her.  
  
"Who-? What happened?" She asked, quite confused.  
  
"It's Alder. You are suffering from bad sleeping habits, previous weakness due to sickness, and on top of that, magical backlash. What is the last thing you remember?" Alder recited.  
  
"Meshing shields, then- explosion. That's it," she said after a minute.  
  
"Keren attacked a weak point in the shield, and something went wrong. You've been unconscious ever since," Alder told her.  
  
"And what happened to you?" she asked, actually opening her eyes and realizing that Alder's leg was elevated. "I got nervous, Kai got nervous, she got spooked, and I got thrown. I gractured my leg," Alder said bluntly.  
  
"What were you nervous about?"  
  
"I- my mind was occupied with-you. The way that you looked when you fainted into my arms. I was nervous that something was really wrong. Then Kat wanted me to jump Kai. I went around the field instead to 'warm up', but I got thrown. That's all that I remember," Alder said, blushing.  
  
"I'm touched that you were so worried, but honestly! I've just overworked myself the tiniest bit. but that's all. I'll be up and running in no time! You, on the other hand, don't look like you'll be able to even walk any time soon!"  
  
"Up and running? You'll be up and running yourself into the ground again, no doubt," Alder muttered, and Avery giggled. At that point, Keren poked her head in to check on the two injured girls.  
  
"Awake! How are you girls feeling?" Keren asked.  
  
"Exhausted," Avery said shortly.  
  
"Sore all over, otherwise fine," Alder mumbled.  
  
"Nothing that sleep can't cure! Gary wanted both of you to go to sleep early tonight. He wanted me to give you your sleeping medicines right about now," Keren said. Alder put her book on the bedside table.  
  
"How will I sleep with this chunk of a thing on my leg?" Alder asked.  
  
"You'll manage. I'll check on you in half a candlemark. I bet you will be sound asleep by then," she said, and went into the common room, and returned with two glasses of amber liquid. "Damon says to feel better and sleep well," she said, handing the cups to both girls. "Sleep well, and do feel better! Goodnight," she said, and left them to drink the medicine.  
  
Alder lifted hers to her lips and gulped it all down, and Avery did the same. "You don't mind my being in here, do you, Avery?" Alder asked, as she felt the first wave of drowsiness wash over her.  
  
"Not at all," Avery breathed, and with that, they both dropped off into a deep sleep. 


	6. Chapter 6

The next two days passed quickly between reading, sleeping, and talking with Avery. Damon and Keren visited often, and after those two days both girls were allowed out of bed. To assist Alder with walking, Keren gave her two poles that she rested underneath her arms, and propelled herself forward with. Keren called them "crutches".  
  
The next four weeks passed even faster. Since Alder couldn't ride, she took up Gary's offer for Healing lessons. Her schedule was so busy with magical lessons that she had barely any time to herself. Alder began to wonder what was being done about the invisibility magic that she had discovered, so she asked Keren.  
  
"The invisibility magic? For one, Lissa is working with the mages to figure out a way to detect its use. The Mage-Council is still deciding what to do about it, whether or not to tell the holdings of Aletha. The problem is this: if we do, some will use it for bad causes. If we don't then the clever mages who have already figured it out can accomplish whatever they will with it," Keren said.  
  
"That is a tricky problem!"  
  
"One that won't be solved tonight, or by us." Keren muttered. "What do you plan to do today? It's your last day in a cast!" she said.  
  
"I rather do enjoy the crutches. They're fun. I'm not sure what I want to do. I'm getting a bit restless, so maybe I should take a walk, or more likely go swinging around in the Palace Gardens."  
  
"Good idea. I am going to go to another bickering session in which nothing will be accomplished." At Alder's puzzled look, she simply said, "Mage Council."  
  
With that, they parted. Alder found peace while in the gardens; a bit of sanity in her hectic schedule. There were rarely any other people in the Gardens, and today was no exception. Alder sat down on a bench and set down her crutches. She got so lost in the relaxing sounds that she fell into a light trance.  
  
One that was interrupted soon enough. Alder jumped at being disturbed so randomly. "So. Alder of Callista," a fair-skinned female remarked. She was really tall, and had curly red hair. She was extremely gorgeous. Alder started at being addressed by name.  
  
"How do you know my name?" Alder asked.  
  
"Court. I remember everyone's name and face. And you had a rather striking appearance. You'd do well as a noble's wife. But then, you've gone and mixed yourself with the wrong crowd," she red-head said snidely.  
  
"Who ARE you?" Alder asked.  
  
"I am so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself!" she said with mock sincerity. "I am Brittany of Brighton," she said, and smiled icily. "You did look stunning. Too good for a peasant from Callista. So I suppose the girl Avery dressed you?" she asked.  
  
"Yes- and?" Alder prompted, just as coldly.  
  
"So I guess Avery had too much fun dressing you," Brittany said mysteriously.  
  
"What do you mean by THAT?" Alder asked.  
  
"You know-she's listern," Brittany said, and sneered.  
  
"And that means?" Alder asked, and the other girl laughed.  
  
"Little country girl doesn't know what a listern is! Priceless!"  
  
"Well? I'm not going to find out sitting here!" Alder said pointedly.  
  
"A listern is a person who. prefers. people of their own gender. Has she ever made a pass on you?" Brittany asked, eyes lit with curiosity.  
  
"Girl who likes girls? You mean sexually?" Alder asked bluntly, and snickered at the look on her face.  
  
"Uh-yes. So has she?"  
  
"No, and by your leave, I need to make MINE now," Alder said rudely and got her crutches and pushed herself away from Brittany. She hastily made her way back to the suite, confused and just a bit bewildered.  
  
Girls, with girls? I knew some people did that. but I never knew that there was a term for it, Alder thought, as she entered the suite, to find Avery lounging on a couch by the fire. "Hey Alder! How was your walk?" she asked, and Alder made up her mind.  
  
"Interesting. Confusing. A certain red-headed Brittany of Brighton approached me." Alder said, and Avery groaned.  
  
"What did she tell you?" Aver asked, running her fingers through her hair nervously.  
  
"That you are attracted to girls. Is that true?" Alder said bluntly, and Avery blushed.  
  
"To be frank; yes. People like Brittany and Ambassador Tyrel just like to make my life harder," Avery said, and everything seemed to fall into place. Ambassador Tyrel thinking she was possessed, because she was different. The time that Avery had let Alder borrow clothes, and how she had carefully diverted her eyes whenever Alder changed. Every confusing instance since Alder had come to Brighton was explained.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Alder whispered.  
  
"I wasn't sure how you would react. Such a far-off holding like Callista is more likely to be closed-minded. I wanted you to know me before you found out so that you wouldn't regard me as demon-spawn like Brittany and Tyrel," she said, almost sadly.  
  
"To be honest, I hadn't been very familiar with the concept of female- female relationships until today. I suppose that just means that I have been extremely sheltered," Alder said, and Avery's face darkened. "To be honest again, I have no problem with it whatsoever. The concept seems as normal as male-female relationships. It seems just as natural. I think that whatever makes you happy is what you should do," Alder said, smiling. "Do Keren and Damon know?" Alder asked.  
  
"Keren, Damon, Kat, Syris. most of Court knows for that matter. I had a girlfriend last year, and we were trying to keep the relationship secret, but Tyrel walked in on us kissing, ad well, by noon that day everyone knew. Keren and Damon had already known, and Kat and Syris had figured it out. They didn't think anything of it. Kat has actually been a mentor to me, as she is listern too." she trailed off, blushing.  
  
"Do you still have a girlfriend? If so, you are very good at keeping secrets."  
  
"No. She couldn't stand the pressure of Tyrel and his cronies stalking us and trying to split us up. In the end, Tyrel was so bad that she had to leave Brighton. It wasn't working out well anyways. Since Tyrel holds so much power at Court, others have to lay themselves down to be walked all over. Not many people are prejudiced against listerns. they just pretend to be. The listern community at Brighton is larger than most would think,"" she said.  
  
"Tyrel, I bet he was just bitter that you had someone and he didn't. He's just finding a way to attack you because you are from Emelis!" Alder growled. Over the past four weeks, she had learned a lot about Court Politics and the feud between Tonnar and Emelis. She could find no sympathy for Tyrel or the whole of Tonnar. They were just trying to gain power and land that they had no right no.  
  
"Probably," Avery agreed. "But it still hurts." 


	7. Chapter 7

Somehow the revelation that Avery was attracted to girls brought Alder's relationship with her closer. They were a lot more open together, and they didn't keep any secrets from each other. Alder also became much closer to Damon. Once Alder was out of her cast, she went back to her normal schedule, and saw a lot more of him.  
  
It was soon to be the first snow of the season. It was chilly, and the wind whipped at Alder's face. It was overcast and cloudy. Insane. I am out at a barn where it will be snowing soon! I didn't wear enough layers. Alder thought, and shivered.  
  
Both Avery and Damon were saddling up their horses, but Alder was already done. She had already mounted up and was trotting Kaila back and forth to keep warm. Ever since her fall, Alder had been slightly afraid of riding. If it weren't for Damon and Avery, she probably would have dropped riding lessons altogether. She was getting better at calming her nerves, but there was still the "What if?"  
  
Finally Kat led her horse out, and Avery soon followed. At last Damon came out on Hunter, and Kat started trotting down the path to the field. They all trotted single file to the field, to find the jump already set up, and Keren trotting along on her beautiful white horse around the field. She finished her circle and stopped in front of Kat.  
  
"Hey Kat! I decided that I'm getting out of shape and haven't ridden in way too long. Hope you don't mind, I'm joining your lesson today," Keren said, and smiled.  
  
"Good enough. And I'll remind you it was your own choice to freeze your ass off!" Kat laughed.  
  
"That works too," Keren said.  
  
"Okay-today we are practicing jumping again. You know the drill!" Kat said, and everyone got into single-file again, Alder at the end of the line. Keren immediately sent her horse into a gallop and easily hopped over the jump. Damon went next, making it look nearly as easy as Keren had. Next was Avery, and after a little hesitation, she too went into a trot and cleared the jump.  
  
And last it was Alder's turn. Inside she was quaking with fear, but she kept an outside calm as to not spook Kai. She didn't trust her voice, but apparently her eyes sent the message to Kat.  
  
"Alder, you'll be fine. You've gotten to be an excellent rider. All you have to do is squeeze your knees and lean forward. Got it?" Kat asked kindly. Alder nodded.  
  
Here goes nothing, she thought, and nudged Kai into an easy trot. As she neared the jump, she squeezed her knees and leaned forward, and it was over faster than it began. Kai was over the jump and trotting again, and Alder remained seated steadily atop Kai.  
  
:Good job: Avery said quietly in the back of Alder's mind. :Now was that really so bad?:  
  
:Fun! That was easier than I thought it would be.: Alder Sent, and trotted back to Kat, who was waiting for her atop Nike.  
  
"Excellent work! Next time, don't clutch so hard on the reins. Keren will you put the jump up a notch please? Alder, go again," Kat said. Kat continued to raise the pole on the jump, and Alder really began to enjoy herself. And then the first snow did come. Tiny white flurries dropped from the sky everywhere. "Okay everyone, looks like there's going to be a snow storm. Let's get back to the stable and have a cup of hot chocolate," Kat suggested, and they trotted back to the stables.  
  
After they had groomed their horses, they all seated themselves around Kat's cozy office. She already had a fire running, and she put a kettle of water on it.  
  
"Kat, are you going to the Midwinter Dinner?" Keren inquired.  
  
"I suppose it is tomorrow, right? I guess you are going to make me go?" Kat asked dryly.  
  
"You guess right! Would you all like to come?" Keren asked Alder, Damon, and Avery.  
  
"Uh- possibly?" Damon said.  
  
"I guess so," Alder said.  
  
"Who will be there?" Avery asked.  
  
"Basically the whole Court," Kat said, and Avery reluctantly nodded her assent. Alder could understand; Tyrel would be there.  
  
:It will be fine. Damon and I will be there with you. Tyrel couldn't possibly be so bold.: Alder Mind-Sent Avery.  
  
:You'd be surprised, but I'm glad that you'll be there with me. What are we going to wear?: Avery joked. :I say it would be rather interesting to wear a bright violet magical shield covering my body like a dress.:  
  
:Interesting, yes, but classy, no.: Alder sent, and they both started giggling. Damon and Kat were giving them strange looks, and Alder said simply, "We were consulting each other on what we should wear," and Avery went back to laughing, and Alder distinctly heard Damon mutter, "Girls."  
  
  
  
The next day, Kat let them out of riding lessons early to get washed up and ready for the Midwinter dinner. Avery and Alder went out to the Bathhouse to soak their saddle-soreness away. Half a candlemark later they met back at the suite to choose what they were going to wear. In the months that Alder had been at Court, she had acquired some new clothing, and two nice dresses.  
  
One was a black strapless dress with a red lace over black silk corset and a beautiful flowing skirt. The other was an ice-blue dress that brought out the color in Alder's eyes. It was a silk sleeveless turtleneck dress that was quite form fitting. When worn, the skirt pooled around her feet. Both were lovely, but she couldn't decide.  
  
Avery was about to model a dress for her. They were alternating showing possible outfits. Avery came into the Common Room wearing a lavender dress that tied around her neck, and no material on the top of her back. In the back the material plunged down her sides until her waist. It was tight on the top, but at her waist there was a seam that separated the top from the skirt. The skirt had beads all around, and the skirt puffed out gracefully. Avery was so beautiful that it left Alder breathless.  
  
"That is absolutely definitely the one! That is gorgeous!" Alder exclaimed.  
  
"Good enough. Your turn," Avery said, blushing at the praise.  
  
Alder went into her room and stripped down to her underclothes, and got an idea. She put herself into a trance and imagined herself in a dress of purple magic. She opened her eyes, to see that she had a coat of violet on her. It looked interesting, to say the least. She went into the Common Room, to hear Avery's gasp.  
  
"That looks as if it were sewn on!" She said.  
  
"It's magic," Alder said, laughing.  
  
"No wonder," she said, and laughed too. "If you weren't so easily startled, you could actually wear that." At Alder's puzzled look she explained, "You lose control of your magic when you're startled. Goodbye dress. Not that that would be a bad thing for me." Avery trailed off, and grinned mischievously. Recently Avery had been flirting with her a bit, but Alder didn't mind. She rather found it amusing.  
  
"Oh well, that's one of us. I, personally, would be embarrassed if I was half naked in front of all of court," she said, and smiled. "But maybe that's just me. My next dress is a corset-dress. Would you help me tie it up?" she asked, and Avery nodded. They got up and entered Alder's room. Alder went into her closet and got her black dress, and came back into her bedroom. She dissipated the magic that had covered her, without even turning away from Avery, and stepped into the dress, and hoisted it above her waste. She removed the breast band that she had been wearing without revealing anything, and threw it into her closet.  
  
"Avery?" she prompted, holding the dress in place. Avery again had been diverting her eyes, and she was blushing profusely. She got up and held the laces to the corset. "Tight, I don't want this falling off!" Alder said, and she could feel Avery's hands gently pulling the laces tighter at the small of her back, sending a thrill up her spine. Then came the point where she had to thread the laces through the holes in the dress and really pull tight. Alder sucked in her stomach so that when Avery was done, it would actually stay on. Finally Avery was done, and Alder turned to face her.  
  
"Beautiful. It was worth the hassle of typing it! You look amazing," Avery breathed. "Lets go find Damon, see what he thinks," Avery said.  
  
They re-entered the Common Room to find Damon already dressed in a suit, reading by the fire. He looked up as they came into the room, and his eyes widened. He stood up and walked first to greet Avery with a kiss on the hand, and then Alder with the same treatment. "Avery. if you weren't listern!" he said mock-wistfully. "But Alder, you look absolutely stunning. The dress looks amazing on you," he said shyly.  
  
"Thanks," she said shortly. "Just looking for your stamp of approval. Now we do hair and makeup! Fun, right?" she said, and Damon groaned. "Now you see what females have to go through to be pretty."  
  
"Avery decided to wear her hair up in an elegant bun, while Alder chose to leave her hair down. Her hair was naturally straight, and for once it looked good that way. Under the influence of the sun and magical bleaching, Alder's hair had turned into a dark shade of pure red. Alder lined her eyes with black paint to make them look longer and borrowed Avery's clear lip- rouge, which made her lips look glossy. In the end, even Alder had to admit that she looked good. She had recently struck a growth spurt, leaving her 5'9" and her body more mature. Avery, too, had grown. She now stood about 5'6".  
  
As they walked out of Avery's room together, Alder had a surprising revelation. "Today is Midwinter, right?" At Avery's nod, she continued. "I just realized that I will be turning 15 in five days. I totally lost track of time."  
  
  
  
The bright Court Dining Room was a big change from the dimly lit hallway. :The Palace really needs to have better lighting in its hallways!: Alder Mind-Sent Keren, who snickered. The Dining Room was extravagantly decorated for Midwinter. Keren had told them earlier that Lissa and Andrew had saved them a table, but she hadn't said where.  
  
Keren lead them down the aisle, closer and closer to the Royal Table. And then Alder actually saw the Royal Table. It had five empty seats. "We are sitting with the queen tonight?" Alder yelped.  
  
"Uh- yes. I didn't want you all to get nervous. You certainly are quick to figure things out!" Keren said.  
  
"Thanks, I guess," Alder said.  
  
:I wouldn't worry. Lissa is incredibly nice. She is such a down-to-earth person.: Avery Mind-Sent her, as they arrived at the Royal Table.  
  
"Good evening, Keren, Kat, Damon, Avery and Alder. How are you all today? The Queen asked them. Alder was shocked that the Queen was addressing her by her first name.  
  
"Very well, thank you, your Majesty," Alder said quietly, bowing.  
  
"Call me Lissa, please. Good to hear it. And all of you look lovely!" Lissa said. Everyone seated themselves around the table and ordered their food. Everyone was talking about the decorations, and Alder turned to survey their surroundings.  
  
Alder could see Syris sitting a couple tables away, and they met eyes. He smiled, and gave her a thumbs-up signal. She smiled back, and continued looking around the Grand Hall. Brittany was sitting near the wall, shooting jealous glances at the Royal Table. Alder stifled a giggle and continued looking around the Hall. The next table over was the Ambassador's table. Tyrel sat with his back to them, and the Ambassador of Emelis was sitting strategically as far away from Tyrel as the table would permit. On several occasions Avery had pointed Ambassador Alasdair of Emelis out to her. Alasdair was about Alder's height, with graying dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He was Avery's uncle, and looked to be forty-something years old.  
  
Lissa, Andrew, Kat, and Keren all excused themselves to go see Syris, and the Queen and consort to go around her Court, as to be more approachable. That left Damon, Alder and Avery alone at the high table. Alder looked back to the Ambassador's table to find Tyrel right in front of her.  
  
"So, the demon-spawn and her friends have bewitched the Queen and her consort into letting them stay at the Royal Table? It must be a charity act. the Queen, sitting with such peasants. Interesting. Alder, I gave you the chance to come over to the right side. You are probably possessed too!" Tyrel spat.  
  
"I am happy with Keren, Ambassador," Alder said quietly.  
  
"Ungrateful brat. Avery has probably turned you into listern crap, too," he said angrily.  
  
"You self righteous bastard! You are just bitter that I am happy with who I am. I've found peace within myself, and you obviously haven't if you are tormenting teenagers. You are just a jealous, prejudiced BIGOT!" Avery exploded.  
  
"Why you little-" Tyrel began, and lifted his arm. Time seemed to slow, but it was too late for Alder to prevent the inevitable. Time sped up again, and Tyrel backhanded Avery, seizing her by the tie of her dress. Alder panicked as he lifted his arm again, and acted on impulse.  
  
She seized a bolt of her magic and sent it at Tyrel, caught unaware. He dropped Avery, and Alder put a magical barrier around Tyrel. Damon meanwhile had been trying to fend Tyrel off, and now that he had been taken care of, he was holding a shaking Avery. She held her hand to her cheek, and was trembling all over.  
  
By this point, the whole Court was watching them. Keren was sprinting over to them, Kat and Syris close on her heels. As a mage himself, Tyrel exploded the crude barrier, seething with rage.  
  
"Avery of Emelis, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Tyrel screeched, and then disappeared into thin air. Keren switched her course of direction to where he had disappeared.  
  
"Guards! Catch him!" Lissa yelled from across the Hall. All of the mages searched to find where he had gone off to, but it was a futile search.  
  
"Lissa, he isn't there. He has found a way to cover his presence in the energy fields. There isn't anything we can do," Keren called. And then chaos broke lose in the Grand Hall. 


	8. Chapter 8

Midnight that night found them all still awake, sitting by the fire. Keren was up and pacing; Kat was taking the kettle off the fire. Avery herself lay in Damon's arms, shaking. Alder sat on the rim of the couch, massaging Avery's back. The confrontation had left her deeply shaken. Even her uncle Alasdair had accompanied them back to the suite.  
  
A knock on the door broke the silence. Lissa opened the door and entered with Andrew. "None of the guard could find Tyrel. I put a Royal Order to find him. None of the mages could find him. He's gone. His room has been checked, everything of importance there is gone. We were too late. Obviously he isn't an Ambassador anymore. He, as an ambassador, openly made a hostile move against a citizen at Court that could result in major political repercussions. Humans are not infallible, but people of his rank aren't allowed suck 'slips'," Lissa growled.  
  
"Avery, are you all right?" King Andrew asked.  
  
"I- just a bit shaken, that's all. What is going to happen?" Avery asked.  
  
"Best case scenario: we get another better suited Ambassador. Worst case scenario isn't pretty. He may try to get back at you, and he might increase the attacks on Emelis. He has a lot of power, and Tonnar is already anticipating our downfall," Alasdair said.  
  
"We send letters to Emelis immediately. They must be warned. As for Tonnar. we can send them an ultimatum. They have been on the wrong side of the law long enough. We have to stop turning our heads from it. They had better stop the attacks and deliver a formal apology to Avery, or else we are going to send troops to defend Emelis," Andrew said.  
  
"And meanwhile, you all had better keep a low profile. Tyrel might send assassins. Tonnar and allies of Tonnar's citizens may try to take personal revenge," Kat said gravely. "I am going to postpone all riding lessons, and instead give you self defense lessons."  
  
"It's time that we practiced offensive magic," Keren added. "How long do we give Tyrel to send another ambassador?"  
  
"The message will be there in the morning, thanks to the Fetching mages. We give him six days." A day after my birthday. Alder thought.  
  
"If only we hadn't gone." Avery groaned.  
  
"It was bound to happen sooner or later, and I'm glad we got the rat out. He broke the Mages' pact to not play around with the invisibility magic, and also not to use it in front of everyone," Keren said.  
  
"Invisibility magic?" Damon asked, puzzled.  
  
"I found a way to disappear," Alder said shortly.  
  
"Lissa, Andrew, now we need to figure out how to cover our presence. Just us, I don't want any more people in on this. It's too important," Keren said.  
  
"Keren, this won't all get fixed and figured out tonight, but we need the head start. Let's go to the Practice Room," Andrew suggested.  
  
"Fine. Alder, Avery, take your sleeping medicine. I have a feeling it will help tonight," Keren said, and left with Lissa and Andrew.  
  
Once Alasdair and Kat made sure they were all right and that all doors and windows were locked, they too made their departure.  
  
"Avery, will you be okay?" Alder asked worriedly, as Damon headed off to his room.  
  
"I won't pretend I'm not scared. Those from Tonnar don't stop until they have gotten what they want," Avery said darkly.  
  
"I'm afraid too," Alder said, and got out two glasses of the deep amber sleeping potion. "Drink up, tomorrow is going to be a long day."  
  
  
  
The creaking of Alder's door awoke her. Who would be here? It can't be dawn yet. TYREL. ASSASSINS. She thought, and panicked. Immediately she threw up a shield of magic and checked for cracks. So I can do that in my sleep. the thought crossed the back of her mind as she reinforced her shield.  
  
"Alder, it's okay. It's Avery. I couldn't sleep," Avery whispered.  
  
"Avery, come in. Are you okay?" Alder asked, lighting a nearby candle with her Fire-Starting. Avery's cheek was discolored and puffing.  
  
"I'm. disturbed. I keep replaying the scene over and over again in my mind. I couldn't sleep, even after taking more sleeping potion."  
  
"Come here," Alder commanded, and Avery came over to her. Alder reached out and gently touched Avery's swelling bruise, and began Healing it. Gary's lessons had come in handy many times already, as Alder often bruised herself riding. Slowly, the green tinge under Avery's eye left, and the swelling disappeared. Avery let out a sigh of relief. Alder pulled her down in moved over in the bed.  
  
"Thank you so much. I feel much better now. Sorry to have woken you up. It's just- every rustle of a tree is someone coming at me. Every shadow is an assassin. I am so nervous," Avery said, and Alder could feel her racing pulse through Avery's cheek and she finished the Healing. She could feel her own heartbeat racing in the tips of her fingertips.  
  
"It's fine. Damon put major shields around our suite, and Kat said that she was going to assign us extra mage-guards. We're safe here," Alder said, putting her gift of Empathy to a test. She projected reassuring waves of warmth at Avery, and saw her relax visibly.  
  
"I'm more worried about Emelis. Tonnar is going to attack all of Emelis because of me," Avery said in a voice full of melancholy.  
  
"They were attacking already. And Tyrel is just what you told him: a bitter and jealous old man who is deeply prejudiced."  
  
"I wish that people weren't so prejudiced. My life is hard enough as it is!" Avery said, and began shaking. Alder pulled Avery tight against her body, as they lay in bed, projecting sympathy and understanding. Alder held her until Avery had ceased her silent crying. By the time she was done, she was so mentally and physically exhausted that she drooped into the pillow.  
  
"Stay here. I think you'll be able to sleep now. And I could use the company. the shadows don't seem friendly tonight."  
  
Avery sniffed, and whispered, "You wouldn't mind if I stayed?"  
  
"Not at all," Alder breathed contentedly.  
  
"Thank you, Alder," Avery whispered, and within seconds both girls were sound asleep. 


	9. Chapter 9

It was almost noon-time, and Alder was still asleep. Avery sat there, awake, clutching the covers around her. It was a beautiful morning; the sun streamed in and surrounded her in its warmth. She looked down upon Alder's serene face, and got up to leave. She entered the Common Room yawning and stretching, to find Damon at his usual spot by the fire.  
  
"Alder's room?" he asked, and raised his eyebrow.  
  
"No- nothing happened. I couldn't sleep," Avery said, and blushed.  
  
"Is there anything between you and Alder?" he asked.  
  
"No." Not yet.  
  
"You like her, don't you," he said, more of a statement than a question.  
  
"I- yes. Damon, you don't understand. This is the strongest I have ever felt in my life for someone else," Avery said, almost hysterical. "And I didn't go to her room in that sense. I was- scared. I felt as though Tyrel was every shadow."  
  
"I believe you," he said, and at that moment Alder appeared in the doorway, yawning. She leaned on the doorframe and rubbed her eyes sleepily.  
  
"Good morning. Good afternoon," she corrected herself. "I surely slept late. What news?" she asked.  
  
Good. She didn't hear our conversation. I suppose it's for the better. For now, Avery thought.  
  
"Keren got home past midnight. no sign of Tyrel. He is going to Tonnar, presumably," Damon said.  
  
"Is there any more orders on where we can and can't go?" Alder asked.  
  
"Well, absolutely no Court. No Ambassador's Hall (but I don't know why we'd go there in the first place), basically the only places we can go are the Stables (where Kat can watch our backs). I think we can also go to the gardens," Avery said.  
  
"Well, just because it's not snowing now doesn't mean it won't and it's still cold out there. I'll just have to deal with eating lunch here for now," Alder said, and smiled.  
  
  
  
"Offensive horse riding. You've become excellent at humping. You all have good balance. Now it's time to use that. I've told you that these horses have special battle training. So, let's start. When you want your horse to go up in battle-stance, you first lean forward, of course. On a rearing horse, you don't want to lean back or you'll fall. Not fun. So squeeze your knees, learn forward, hold on tight, and say 'up' to your horse," Kat said. "There is no better way to explain it. So you all better just try it. And if you do fall, try to roll out of it."  
  
"Good enough," Alder said, and before she gave herself time to worry, she leaned forward, and squeezed her knees into Kai. "Up!" she commanded, and Kai obeyed. Kaila launched herself onto her hind haunches, and balanced perfectly. Alder clung to the reins, and released her tight grip. She nudged Kai and commanded, "Forward!" and Kaila hopped forward awkwardly. "Down!" Kai gently plopped herself down again.  
  
"Good job!" Kat yelped, quite impressed. Avery was up, and finding her balance. Damon was still watching her, with unshielded awe in his eyes. He then followed her example, and attempted the trick.  
  
Alder practiced with Kai until she was comfortable with balancing on a rearing horse, and then Kat let her go for the day. Instead of going to the Stables, Alder decided to go by the hot springs to soak her feet. She tethered Kai to a tree and took off her boots, rolled up her riding leathers and dipped her legs into the hot water. It was incredibly relaxing, and Alder lay down with her legs submerged, looking at the snow covered leaves overhead.  
  
"Hey Alder," Damon said, startling her by coming up behind her. "Just wondering where you went." He sat down beside her and dipped his hands in the water. "Wow. time has really flown. You've been here forever. What do you think?"  
  
"I love it here. I am doing what I want to do, and not what I'm told to do by my Father or Aunt. Magic is so fun. and so are the riding lessons. I feel at home here with you, Keren and Avery. This is the home I never had."  
  
"I'm glad to hear it."  
  
"Callista never had any hot springs. They are so beautiful," she said, and a thick silence fell between them. Alder looked up at him, to find him staring at her.  
  
"Alder, YOU are beautiful. No amount of hot springs could have been made in Callista to replace your beauty," he said seriously. And it was all Alder could do to keep a straight face.  
  
Wow. Now wasn't that corny. I could have lived a happier life without ever having heard that! She thought, guarding her thoughts carefully. "Thank you, I suppose," she said, and turned her face from him.  
  
She felt his warm hand brushing against her cheek. He put his hand under her chin and turned her face towards him. He leaned in towards Alder, and she felt his lips press to hers as he kissed her. She turned pale, and her body froze. She didn't want this, but how could she say so without seeming rude? She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but he was imposing on her personal space, and she just wasn't interested.  
  
She put her hand to his chest and pushed him away gently. She immediately got up and went to where she had put her shoes. She didn't even wait to put her shoes on, she just picked them up and went to Kaila. She pulled open her saddle bags and shoved her shoes into them, as she prepared to mount.  
  
But Damon interrupted her. "Alder, wait. What's the matter? Please stay."  
  
"I- I can't stay. I can't do this," she said, and mounted Kaila.  
  
"You don't feel the same way?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know what I think. I don't know WHAT to think. I really don't know what I want. Give me some time, please, Damon," she pleaded, and turned her horse and trotted away.  
  
What is WRONG with me? That makes every other girl happy, to find an attractive guy that likes them. except Avery. But she is different.  
  
Who is to say that I'm not different too? The thought crept into her mind as she reached the stables. She put all of her energy into grooming Kai. She mindlessly groomed her as quickly as she could. She didn't want to face Damon again until she figured things out. Once she got into the suite, she immediately got a clean set of clothes and set out for the bathhouse to soak and mull things over. 


	10. Chapter 10

"Damon, what is the matter?" Avery asked, looking up from her book to see Damon pale and staring off into space.  
  
"I- nothing," he responded shortly.  
  
"Do you know where Alder is?" Avery asked quietly.  
  
"I don't know where she went," he said stiffly, and became even paler.  
  
"Didn't you go to see her at the hot springs?"  
  
"I did."  
  
"And didn't you see where she went?"  
  
"I did not."  
  
"Something happened between you and her," Avery stated plainly. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Why not?" Avery asked gently.  
  
"You might get mad at me."  
  
"Please, Damon. Just tell me," she asked softly.  
  
"We- were dipping our feet in the water. soaking. I kissed her, Avery. I like her, too. I had to know if she felt the same way. I am really sorry. She pushed me away and left me. She said she didn't know what she wanted, and that she was confused," he said, and put his head in his hands.  
  
"I can't blame you, Damon. It's okay. The chances that she is listern too are so minimal. I know it hurts. it hurts both of us. Let's just let time unravel this."  
  
"So you aren't mad?"  
  
"No, it's fine," Avery said, and smiled to reassure him.  
  
  
  
Alder soaked in the bathtub until she was wrinkled all over. Finally when she couldn't avoid going to the suite any longer, she came into a deserted Common Room. She went into her room and threw herself onto her bed, moping. She hadn't struck any inspiration in the water of her bathtub for how she would deal with her situation. She had found herself thinking about Avery a lot lately. This morning she had kept thinking about the previous night. and what could have happened. She didn't know why, but she had been very 'drawn' to Avery the night before.  
  
What should I tell Damon? I don't want to be with him. I turn fifteen in less than a week. how am I supposed to know what I want?  
  
"Alder?" came Avery's voice, as she opened the door to Alder's room.  
  
"Yes, I'm here. Come in," Alder replied.  
  
"You aren't shielding your emotions. You are radiating them with your Empathy. I made a shield between you and Damon so that he wouldn't know what you feel. I tried to block you out of my mind, but since the emotions are strong, and I didn't want to block you out of my mind in case you Mind- Spoke me, I decided that you should know."  
  
"Oh, God. I suppose you'll be wanting an explanation?"  
  
"Damon kissed you. He told me. And you don't know how to react. I got that from your emotions."  
  
"You are right."  
  
"If it's me that's making you nervous, I would approve of you and Damon together," Avery said.  
  
So she doesn't feel anything for me.Alder's heart sank.  
  
"No! It's not that at all. To be honest, I don't think I feel anything for him whatsoever besides friendship. How do I tell him?" Alder moaned.  
  
"Just tell him straight out. To tell YOU the truth, the same situation happened to me when I got here. He kissed me, and of course I felt nothing but friendship for him! What I did is later that night, I came to him and just told him plainly, 'guys aren't my type.' He took that for face value, and now we've become even better friends. Although that may not apply to you," Avery said, and raised an eyebrow.  
  
Alder shrugged impassively. "I don't know what I want. How- when did you figure out that you were listern?" Alder asked timidly.  
  
"Well, when every other girl at Emelis began swooning over the boys, I never felt that way. I began being attracted to girls when I was thirteen. I had a listern aunt, so I talked to her. I decided just to do what made me happy. Labels don't matter."  
  
"That's good. How did everyone react?"  
  
"My siblings thought that I was a mental-case. My mom was surprised but nice about it. My dad doesn't know."  
  
"Do your sibs still think you are crazy?"  
  
"Partially. My eldest siblings have gotten over it. The young ones won't accept the fact that their sister is a girl that likes girls!"  
  
  
  
  
  
"Damon?" Alder called, as she knocked on the door to his room. He opened the door and beckoned for her to come in. "I am sorry that I was so rude earlier. To be honest, I had never been kissed before, and I didn't know how to react. I'm really sorry. I don't feel the same way about you," she said shortly.  
  
"That's all right. Let's just forget that ever happened. and I have to know, are you listern, too?" he asked shyly.  
  
"I. don't know," she said.  
  
"Okay then. You should talk to Kat. Maybe she could help you with your confusion."  
  
"Maybe. Not now. We'll still be friends, right?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
  
  
  
  
Alder decided to take Damon's advice to talk to Kat, but she never had any time off when Kat was available. The next two days passed slightly awkwardly. Alder didn't know how to treat Damon, and vice versa. Avery seemed to be amused by the awkward silences, but kindly broke them and took them to more comfortable subjects.  
  
The sun woke Alder early on her fifteenth birthday. She rolled over and tried to fall asleep again, but she was too excited. She got up and got dressed, picked up a book, and went into the Common Room.  
  
"Happy birthday! You're fifteen now!" Avery and Damon's voices chorused in unison. Alder rubbed her eyes and looked upon her friends. They were both fully dressed.  
  
"Are you both insane? Should I call the Mind-Healers?" Alder asked groggily. "It is EARLY," she drawled. "Why are you awake?"  
  
"If we're insane, then you are too. We wanted to surprise you!" Keren walked in, carrying a cake. Alder's jaw dropped, but she soon regained composure.  
  
"Such insanity! You guys are too nice!"  
  
Keren set the cake in the center of the table, and all of the sudden the candles lit with stunning violet flames. "That can't be natural fire. Avery, that looks like your magic," Alder said, confused.  
  
"I went to practice with Syris because I was getting out of practice, and amazingly my Fire-Starting channel had opened. Keren says it's because of the magical backlash that I suffered from the day that you broke your leg," she said, and smiled. "Every door that closes opens a window, or something of the sort."  
  
"Since you were linked together though the magic, and the magic was coming through Avery's channels, when the magic went wild it whipped her. Then her dormant Channel was opened," Keren explained. "Now blow them out!"  
  
Alder leaned towards the candles, and closed her eyes. She made a wish, and blew out the candles. Or tried to. As soon as the flame was extinguished, it popped up again with a flare. Alder thought that it was just a strange occurrence caused by a drift of air, but after the flames kept springing up out of no where, she turned a glare at Avery. She couldn't keep a straight face, and everyone started laughing. Avery nodded, and Alder turned and blew the candles out once and for all. Keren took out a knife and carefully sliced the cake.  
  
"Cake for breakfast. I like your style, Keren." After breakfast, everyone went to change for their first lesson of the day. When Alder re-entered the Common Room, she discovered that everyone had left, but by the door was a pile of packages. Alder picked the first one up. "To Alder- From Damon". She neatly peeled off the wrapping and discovered that Damon had given her embroidery flosses and embroidery patterns. She ran her fingers along the many colored threads, and set it aside for later.  
  
She received other practical gifts from Kat, Keren, and Syris, but the fift that stood out the most was from Avery. Wrapped in navy-blue cloth was a beautiful necklace. Rubies were set into a stunning silver chain, and on top of the necklace was a note reading, "Happy fifteenth birthday. Hope it's a good one. With much love, Avery." 


	11. Chapter 11

"Tyrel. I was not expecting to see you anywhere near Tonnar, for what, the rest of your life? What brings you back?" came a deep, masculine voice.  
  
"Master, I am so sorry. That listern trash of Emelis, Avery, provoked me into slapping her. All the guards were coming after me, and the Queen called out saying that I was no longer accepted as Ambassador, as I openly threatened her subjects. I had to go somewhere. and 'make sure that you have a new Ambassador at Court'," Tyrel said, and started to shiver in apprehension. His Master, who was sitting shrouded in the shadows, raised his arm into the light, and sent waves of blood-red Mage-Fire at him. Tyrel's limp body flew backwards and slammed against the wall, where he slumped down, barely conscious.  
  
"I am quite disappointed in your behavior," he admonished stiffly. "You would have had your chance. We discussed this. When the final plan goes through, you would have had your chance to get your hands on her. But, there still is a chance," the Mage said.  
  
"There is someone new in the picture," Tyrel exclaimed, panting.  
  
"Speak," he demanded, as he got up and walked into the light. The man was extremely tall, with long black hair. His slender face was inhumanly beautiful, except for his right cheek. It was marred with a scar that ran from his eyebrow, across his eyelid, to the middle of his pale cheek. Tyrel, shaking, looked up into his Master's eyes, but quickly turned his face. The man's eyes were as crimson as his Mage-Fire.  
  
"We knew that the boy, Damon, would have some type of play in this, but the Mage Keren has taken a new apprentice. I foresee that she will change the course of events, but everything is blurry," he squeaked.  
  
"Fool. You Foresee something, and you didn't tell me?" he screeched, and with his magic, he surrounded Tyrel in the flames, and yanked him upright. "This could affect the plan. Who is this girl? Where is she from?"  
  
"Master Aidan, please. She is newly come to Brighton, I couldn't notify you," he whimpered. "She is called Alder of Callista. She is an aspiring mage. Her magic is overwhelming. The future no longer looks as clear. Everything has gone blurry, though we may yet win the game," he quickly amended to avoid Aidan's wrath.  
  
"Good. Then we shall proceed with the Plan. Sooner than we had expected. With your. how shall we say. accident at Court, we must get it over with as soon as possible. Emelis shall soon be ours, and then we will have enough of an army to attack. Our new Alliance with Daria should come to good use."  
  
  
  
"'Dearest Avery, I regret to inform you that our father is ill. It is fatal. He requests for you to visit him in Emelis. He says that you are welcome to bring Keren and her other apprentices. We need a mage, or mages, to help use with defense. Love, Johan.' Oh my gods. My dad is dying," Avery whimpered after reading a letter aloud.  
  
"I am so sorry, Avery. We'll all go to Emelis, if you want," Keren whispered, as a silent tear ran down Avery's check.  
  
"Yes, please. Thank you, Keren."  
  
"Then we leave in the morning. Damon- send a message to Kat. We'll need to have the horses saddled early tomorrow."  
  
Avery got up, and turned to leave. Alder followed Avery into her room. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I will be," Avery said, choking on a sob. Alder's heart wrenched, and she enveloped Avery in a massive hug. Avery stopped holding back, and sobbed herself into exhaustion in Alder's arms. Alder picked up Avery's limp form and struggled over to her bed. She placed Avery into it, and tucked her in. Already Avery was falling into her slumber. Her tearstained face and creased forehead relaxed, and she was asleep. On an impulse, Alder kissed Avery's forehead, and as she walked out of the room, whispered, "Sleep well." 


	12. Chapter 12

A little after dawn, the group set out for Emelis. Avery had willed herself into a trance of meditation to escape the world. She had strapped herself into the saddle for safety. Alder wanted to do the same, but Keren had asked her to practice her magic. Her first day in the saddle dragged by, and she was quite grateful to stop at an inn in the late afternoon. It hurt her to see Avery so upset. The next day went just as slowly, but the third day saw Avery wakeful again.  
  
They both practiced casting illusions with their magic. The week before, Keren had taught them how to make illusions, but going into Emelis required that they be in disguise. The border guards from Tonnar did not particularly care for the Emelis family, and Avery could be in danger. Therefore, to give them practice, Keren assigned them to give full-body illusions to their group for the entrance.  
  
Avery and Alder conversed mind-to-mind, trying to choose the least conspicuous disguises. Alder was going to disguise Kai as a low-bred pack mule and herself as a rough looking peasant girl. As she worked on Damon's illusion (Damon declined making illusions in preference to practicing Fetching), Avery worked on Keren's. A mile before they were due at the crossing, Alder and Avery cast the illusions. If Alder hadn't created the images, she would have sworn they were real.  
  
"Heyla!" hailed the border guard from Tonnar. "What be your business here t'day?"  
  
"Just passing through to Emelis on trade," Keren replied shortly.  
  
"Emelis!" he scoffed. "Why'd a pretty lady like you be trading in Emelis?"  
  
"Private business, sir," she replied. "May we pass through?"  
  
"Names?" he asked, jotting down descriptions of everyone.  
  
"I am Kerry, and these are my 'prentices, Daren, Ivory, and Elda," she said happily. Alder almost choked at the new names they were given.  
  
"Interesting. Very interesting," the man mused. "Well, that'll be all. You may go."  
  
They passed through the gates into Emelis and kicked their 'mules' into a brisk trot. Once out of sight and earshot, they took off the illusions. "Kerry, those were interesting names. I wonder where you got them?" Avery joked.  
  
"Too close for my comfort. Won't they realize that Ivory is Avery, and her mentor is Keren?" Damon asked, and the girls laughed.  
  
"You're being paranoid. We had illusions on. Nothing bad will happen, now," Avery said. They rode on into the village in an awkward silence, which was broken by Avery's gasp. The walls of the building were blackened with scorch marks, and what looked like stables were in complete ruins. It looked as if there had been a fire throughout the whole city. "Aquis," Avery whispered, horrified.  
  
"The people here are lucky, there obviously wasn't very much being used here. Otherwise there wouldn't be an Emelis to return to," Keren said gravely.  
  
"Avery! Keren! How good to see you! And these must be Damon and Alder?" A dark haired man asked. He looked to be about twenty.  
  
"Johan, these are Damon and Alder. This is Johan, my brother," she said as she was enveloped in an enormous hug. "It's good to see you too. How is he?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Not good, but still living. I expect you'll want to see him right away?" she nodded. "Then you go in. I'll take your bags and horse. Go on now, it's no hassle." Avery's eyes filled with gratitude, and she ran to her scorched home. "This way to the stables," Johan directed.  
  
  
  
  
  
Avery ran down the halls as fast as her legs would carry her. She was an Empath, and could tell that her father's days were numbered. His hours were numbered. She could Sense his afflicting states of despair and the ultimate serenity. He was breathing his last few hours of life away, and she still had business to settle.  
  
Avery reached the door to her father's bedroom, and quietly opened the door. "Dad," she whispered, and reached for his pale, bony hand. "I'm here. It's Avery. Oh, dad."  
  
"Avery, my daughter. I am so glad to see you here. I've missed you so much. It's fatal, you know," he said quietly.  
  
"I've heard. I love you so much. I have to tell you something, dad."  
  
"All right, go ahead."  
  
"Dad, I'm listern. I'm attracted to girls," Avery said, deciding to be blunt.  
  
"How do you know? You're so young."  
  
"How young were you when you decided you liked girls?" she asked patiently.  
  
"Good point. I actually had expected this. I want to tell you how remarkable a young lady you are. I honor your courage in telling me. I love you, honey, no matter what. I accept your choices."  
  
"I love you so much, dad," Avery whispered.  
  
"I love you too." he trailed off, as his eyes closed for the last time.  
  
  
  
  
  
Alder finished unpacking her clothes into the drawers in the Guest Room, and now surveyed her surroundings. The Guest Room she had been stationed in was larger than even her room at Brighton. Apparently Emelis was quite prosperous, if it furnished its guest rooms so lavishly. There were beautiful rugs strewn across the mahogany floor, satin curtains pulled back from the view.  
  
Alder was in easy sight of a peach-orchard and the new stables. The bed in her guest room was, to Alder's reckoning, large enough to fit three people. It had thick blankets and more fluffy pillows than Alder could shake a stick at. What impressed her the most was the canopy that could shroud her bed. The room was magnificent, but somehow not welcoming.  
  
Alder got up from her window seat and wandered down the solitary hallway of the Guest Wing. "Miss, are you looking for something? Do you need anything?" a servant asked. She had tightly curled red hair, and looked to be about twenty. Wow. She is REALLY pretty, Alder thought, while an inner voice nagged, Not as pretty as Avery.  
  
"Alder. Just call me Alder. I was looking for Avery's room."  
  
"I am Erika. Nice to meet you. Avery's room?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Alder had been around the Palace long enough to know what that raised eyebrow implied, but Erika seemed to just be playing around good- naturedly. Alder murmured assent, and followed the mischievous Erika to Avery's room.  
  
At the door, Erika left her. Alder knocked on the door, and heard a thump in Avery's room. No one answered, and Alder sent out a mental search for Avery. She was in her room. :Avery, I know you are in there. Are you decent?:  
  
:I love you,: Avery Sent, and all of the sudden Avery's mental shields collapsed, and Alder felt extreme depression rushing to overwhelm her. On an impulse, she harshly tried to push open the door. She met both magical and physical locks. She put her hands to the door knob to steady herself, and then probed for the magical barrier. In Avery's depression, she had set up an extremely shabby shield with a gaping weak point. Alder sent a Levin- Bolt at the center of the weak point, and the barrier shattered. Alder backed away from the door, and then took all of her strength and kicked the door open.  
  
And sitting on the edge of her windowsill was Avery. She had a knife in one hand, and the other was preparing to push herself off the window ledge.  
  
"Avery, don't do it," Alder said softly, using all of her power as an Empath to radiate calm and happiness to Avery. She turned a cold face to Alder, with barely any sanity left in her blank eyes.  
  
"Why not," she said, more of a statement than a question.  
  
"Because if life isn't worth living, then it isn't worth ending, either. I know it doesn't make much sense but it's true. We all love you. If you were to kill yourself, it would hurt all of us, especially me."  
  
"It doesn't matter. The one that I love could never love me the same way," Avery said, her voice devoid of emotion.  
  
"Because they aren't listern? Chances are that you had never asked them, am I right?" Alder asked, trying to soothe Avery's depression with Empathy. Very slowly, so Avery wouldn't notice, she inched closer to the windowsill. She arrived by Avery's side, and pulled her easily off the window ledge, and put her on the bed. She took the knife out of Avery's hand, and put it back by the window. She would have thrown the offending object out the window, if the orchard wasn't underneath. She didn't want someone accidentally hurting themselves with it.  
  
She came back to the bed, and sat down by Avery. With Avery's still crashed shields, she was projecting conflicting emotions. "I. Alder, are you listern?" Alder inwardly was shocked, but displayed a calm face to Avery.  
  
"I hardly know more than you do, Avery. I wouldn't worry," Alder said truthfully. "I have never been attracted to a male before. That's what happened with Damon."  
  
"Avery, what made you try to kill yourself today?" Alder asked, changing the subject. Truth of the matter, she was attracted to Avery. And other females, for that matter. She liked Avery a lot. more than she could ever express in words. She would die for her, and to see her in such pain hurt her. But what if it were just her imagination, or just a phase? She had seen how being listern affected Avery; she was generally easily depressed and the prejudice she faced was strong enough to hurt a stronger spirited person than both Avery and Alder combined.  
  
"He- he is dead, Alder. My father died. I saw him die," she said, and her mask of an emotionally dead person faded. Her eyes welled with the tears she refused to shed, and her face was twisted in grief. Alder's heart wrenched.  
  
"It isn't your fault, Avery, there was nothing you could do. Nothing."  
  
"He died after I told him I was listern He- had a right to know. I feel as if I sent him into an early death, even though he accepted me." she said, and lost her remaining control. She broke down, sobbing so hard that she couldn't breathe. Alder lay down next to Avery, and hugged her. Avery buried her face in Alder's shoulder until she had cried her eyes dry.  
  
"He was ill already. I could Sense him when I came into Emelis, he wasn't going to live past the hour. It was not you. You had nothing to do with it. He loves you," Alder whispered, stroking Avery's hair. Avery breathed in deeply trying to regain some composure, but was failing miserably, with relapses of crying. "It's all right. Cry as much as you need to. It is normal to grieve."  
  
"It's not just him. It's everything. That just put me over the edge," Avery said, continually choking on sobs.  
  
"What is everything?" Alder asked quietly.  
  
"Stress. not knowing whether there will be a home to visit when I come back. Not knowing if my family has been killed due to Tonnar renegades. And."  
  
"And what?" Alder prompted quietly.  
  
"Do you know how hard it is to like someone, and they don't even acknowledge your interest?"  
  
"I thought that you and Danika, that girl from Court."  
  
"She's pretty, but Alder, I'm in love with YOU. I think I've known from the moment I met you. I felt as if I had known you forever. And no matter how hard I try, I can't get over you. And I don't even know if I want to. But I don't even have a chance," she said, and began to cry again.  
  
"Avery, honey, it's all right. You DO have a chance. I-I've never been attracted to a girl before like I am to you. And I don't know how to deal with it, and I don't want to rush into anything. Though, I do want you to know that I am attracted to you. I'm just not sure of anything. Be assured, you have a good chance with me," she said honestly. "Time."  
  
"That sounds almost like rejection," Avery sniffed, pulling away. Alder pulled her back.  
  
"It isn't," Alder corrected firmly. Avery's eyes drooped in exhaustion. "Now sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning, and please, if you are ever going to try to end it again, please come to me. I need you," and with that, Alder set her hand to Avery's forehead and set a light sleeping spell on Avery with her Healing Magic, and retraced her steps back to her own room. 


	13. Chapter 13

The wind whipped at Alder's hair as she walked through the quiet peach orchard. The only sound that was audible was that of the wind rustling the leaves. Her plodding footsteps made no sound. The wind; the whole scenario seemed familiar to her. She felt as if she knew it, and had been there before. She could sense the wind calling her name, pulling at her. And magic. Magic sparkled through the trees, though not the life force energy normally seen outdoors. Amazingly, in this world, there were no ley lines, and no nodes. The land had no natural energy. It was an illusion, but there was some source of magic there in the orchard, seeming to lead her in the direction of the pond on the Emelis estate. And as she followed the path, the disquiet magic seemed to vanish. The wind was magical. She could See it with her Mage-Sight. It shined a familiar violet. And once she reached the pond, the whipping wind was still. The violet magic solidified into a form of an attractive female, and Alder was much drawn to it. She knew this girl would be her beloved for all time. And then the violet form of her beloved dissipated into gas, and was snatched away for her. She cried out in vain, but there was no one there to hear her.  
  
"Avery!" Alder screeched into the night. She was sweat soaked and panting. Avery was in trouble. She was gone, and Alder knew it. She was wide awake, and ran down the hall to Avery's room. She burst open the door with magic without even testing for locks. As she had expected, no one occupied the bed. The curtains blew in the breeze, the window's glass shattered all over the ground. Alder side-stepped the shards of glass quickly, and stared down into the peach orchard. She hadn't killed herself. She had been kidnapped. That much was apparent from the ripped sheets and the signs of struggle about Avery's room.  
  
:KEREN!!: Alder Mind-Sent, panicking. :COME TO AVERY'S ROOM IMMEDIATELY!!!!!: Keren arrived within two minutes.  
  
"What in bloody hell HAPPENED here? Where is Avery?" Keren demanded.  
  
"Avery was kidnapped. I- had a dream. She was taken from me, and then I knew she was gone," Alder said, and found herself blushing despite her panic.  
  
"Sounds like Fore-Sight of a lifebonded. You love her, don't you?" she asked, as Alder became annoyed at the irrelevance of the question.  
  
"Yes, I do. What does that have to do with anything? She could be in danger!"  
  
"If you are lifebonded, then we may be able to locate her. First, I'll augment your Far-Sight. You know her better than anyone else as her lifebonded, and have worked with her magically. Search for her." Alder Sent out her awareness, searching for Avery's presence. But all she encountered was a massive shield around the borders of Emelis. Keren, linked into her mind, Saw all that Alder did and let out a gasp. Alder, outraged, stood on the window sill, and raised her arms towards the heavens. 


	14. Chapter 14

Enraged, Alder sharpened a bolt and sent it at the barrier. It was deflected, and the reflected lightening bolt shattered a tree below her in the orchard. Keren pushed her legs from under her, and caught her as she fell backwards. Keren put Alder on the bed, and put her hand on Alder's forehead. As Alder protested, Keren put the sleeping spell on her.  
  
:Damon, wake up. Come to Avery's room. Now.: Keren Sent. When Damon arrived, his expression of bleary confusion turned into a shocked expression of horror.  
  
"Where's Avery? What happened to Alder?" he demanded.  
  
"Avery has been kidnapped. Alder has gone into a mad rage. I had to put her under a sleeping spell so that she wouldn't kill herself or every person here in Emelis. She is in a stake of shock."  
  
"What induced the state of shock?"  
  
"Lifebond," Keren said shortly.  
  
"That explains a lot. What are we going to do? She will be very mad if we leave her unconscious for long."  
  
"There is a shield around all of Emelis. Very physical. She sent a bolt but it was reflected. We are all going to have to go to the border, and do something about the shield. To do that, we'll need to wake her up," Keren said, and sighed. She put her hand back to Alder's forehead, and removed the spell. Alder blinked several times, and her eyes regained their focus.  
  
"You put me to sleep. Damn you. Let's GO. We're losing time," Alder said impatiently, and jumped up and rushed to the door. It was all Keren and Damon could do to keep up with Alder. Alder quickly saddled Kai, and mounted up. "Let's go," she said stiffly, and the others quickly mounted up.  
  
As soon as they were on their horses, Alder urged Kai into a canter. :Keep up or I'll leave you behind!: Alder threatened them.  
  
:What love can make people do!: Keren Sent at Alder, who sent back a mental growl. As they reached the border, it became more and more apparent that the shield blocking their path was extremely powerful. "This could not have been constructed by one Adept alone," Keren stated.  
  
"Unless they were a powerful blood-path Adept. They can hold amazing amounts of power," Damon said gravely.  
  
"Knowing what we've heard of the Tonnar renegades, they're ruthless and bound to resort to blood-path magic. Be prepared for the worst!" Keren said, as they rounded a corner. What they saw made them stop in their tracks. In front of them was a visible shield, as high as Alder could see upwards. What disturbed her the most was the magic that bound it was blood red, with black sparks. The magic radiated terror, pain, and utmost filth.  
  
"Blood magic," Damon whispered, reaching a hand towards the barrier.  
  
"Don't touch it!" Keren yelped, but it was too late. Damon was flung backwards, unconscious.  
  
"Will he be okay?"  
  
"Yes, when he comes to," Keren said.  
  
"There's nothing we can do about him?" Alder asked.  
  
"No. Blood magic shock has to run its own course. We need to break this shield." Alder invoked Mage-Sight, and looked for any weakness in the shield. The shield was flawless. She melded her magic into a thin needle of power, and sent it at the shield. The shield rippled, but reflected the bolt. It singed the grass as it passed by. Alder studied the shield's reaction to her bolt. The place on the shield where Alder struck wasn't considerably weaker than any other point on the barrier. It seemed that when it struck, the barrier as a whole weakened, but there was a lot of power behind it.  
  
"The only way to break this barrier will be with all of your power. All of it. I'm afraid the amount of power it will take will leave the person who broke the shield unconscious. The backlash will be horrible," Keren said.  
  
"How many mages are there in Emelis?"  
  
"Not many. Us, and some hedge-witches."  
  
"Who will break this thing? I guess I have to. I don't have as much magical experience as you." Alder said, disturbed.  
  
"To break into Tonnar's holding you'll have to become invisible. I can't hold the spell for more than five minutes."  
  
"Then you'll let me go? Please. I need to see her as soon as possible. I have to know if she's all right. I can stay invisible. I'm fifteen now. And I can deal with the consequences."  
  
Keren heaved a tremendous sigh. "You're the best for the job. Be careful. Don't let emotion render you senseless. And don't stay around once I've blown the shield. Damon and I will be fine. God-speed, Alder," and with that, Keren raised her arms and with all her power blasted the shield to shards, exploding in a mass cloud of blood- colored mist.  
  
  
  
Damned Tonnar. They can't ever find me here. Avery blinked through the darkness, but couldn't see a thing. She had waken up here. The cell smelled of mold and stale urine, and it was all Avery could do to hold in the vomit that begged to come out. She had tried to make a Mage- Light to see where she was, but found that all of her Mage-Senses had been locked within her own mind.  
  
All that Avery remembered of the kidnap was waking up to find a knife at her throat, and someone smothering a cloth over her mouth, and becoming dizzy. She had blacked out, and woken up here. She knew what would happen to her. When she had still lived at Emelis, she had heard many horror stories of what happened in Tonnar. She was in such a state of terror that a strange sense of calm washed over her. What would happen to her was inevitable. She was helpless: her magic locked and dormant, locked in a filthy cell that made her stomach heave. For all she knew she might not even be IN Tonnar's main holding.  
  
Her chain of thought was interrupted by the creaking of the cell's sole door. Light flooded her cell, temporarily blinding Avery as her eyes adjusted.  
  
"Welcome to Tonnar," came a masculine and icy voice, as the body that carried the voice came into the light, again obscuring her view. "I will be your host for your stay here. I understand that you are Avery? But names aren't important. A personality makes a person, not a name. And yet," he stopped to muse, I understand you are vile by nature," he said.  
  
Avery sat mute, unable to say anything. As her pupils contracted and adjusted, she was entranced by the image of her captor. He was unearthly tall, and had midnight hair longer than her own. His cheeks were gaunt, the skin tight on his frame like canvas. It was extremely pale. But what really made his appearance unique, and chilling, were his scarlet eyes. They seemed to radiate pain and death, but certainly not his own. Blood-Path mage. Hellfires. he'll have a great amount of power at his disposal. He also had a scar traced over his eyelid and onto his cheek.  
  
Only once in her short fifteen years alive had she encountered a blood- path mage. One thing was for certain, they were all reputed to be extremely power hungry, and would go to no end to attain power, thus resulting in blood-path magic. Blood path mages used pain and death to attain the life force of the victim, adding to their power resources.  
  
Avery diverted her eyes as the mage's appearance sent a chill down her spine. There was no doubt about it, the man was irresistibly beautiful. If she weren't listern, she'd probably be paralyzed with his image, and sucked into endless servitude.  
  
"Are you attracted to me, Avery?" the mage drawled. Avery didn't want him knowing any more information about her. The more he knew, the more he could use against her. So she played along with it.  
  
"Oh, great mage! I worship the image of such beauty and power," Avery replied, trying not to grind her teeth. She had tried her best to be enthusiastic, but apparently she failed.  
  
"Bullshit. You are lying through your teeth. I can read it in your thoughts. Your shields have been disabled. Now, here at TONNAR, we teach honesty. I'll be your teacher today. You can call me Master Aidan. Or just 'Master', whatever you prefer. Now, are you attracted to me?" he asked icily.  
  
"I-" she started, but was numbed by fear.  
  
"If we won't be cooperating, we'll just have to jump into the first lesson. Answer my questions. Obey me."  
  
"I-" she started again. Then she felt the Mage-Energies seep into her unshielded mind. The red energies seized her nerves abruptly and forced her to speak. "Yes, Master," she heard herself say.  
  
"Might as well answer me. I don't think you enjoy my coercion spells," he said idly.  
  
"No. I am not attracted to you."  
  
"And why not?" he asked.  
  
"I-," Avery did not want him to know she was listern. Tonnar was reputed to be very prejudiced against them. At Court, there were stories about a young listern boy who was born in Tonnar, and the ending wasn't pretty. Once the town found out, he was taken into the center of the village where they humiliated him And then they stoned him to death. Happy thoughts.  
  
"That is the third time you have not answered me, you insolent brat! Here at Tonnar, we teach lessons that STICK," Aidan said menacingly, as he raised his arm against her. 


	15. Chapter 15

Alder woke up lying uncomfortably on a pile of rocks. Her head ached tremendously. It took her a couple of minutes to convince herself to open her eyes. The barrier was gone, but there was a blood-red mist hovering over the tree tops.  
  
As she quickly unshielded, a sense of urgency pulled her to her feet. She ran to Kaila, who was grazing next to Damon's unconscious form. Hunter and Nike nervously stomped their hooves, until Alder in turn soothed them and told them to guard their wonders. With a sense of purpose, they calmed. Alder jumped into Kaila's saddle and set her off at a fast trot.  
  
How long has it been? Judging the sky, Alder decided that she had only been out fold for about a candlemark. The sun had risen with the light of false-dawn.  
  
The sense of urgency that had pulled her before was redoubled, and it left her barely coherent. She was confused as to where this urgency was coming from, as it seemed almost tangible.  
  
Alder forced herself into a light trance, and searched for that tiny part of her mind that held her magical channels. Grasping for magic had become second nature to her, and she didn't have to look for her channels to initiate a spell. She hadn't gauged her channels in months. And what she found there shocked her out of her trance. She quickly sent herself back to her channels, to see a new one. And when she reached out a tentative mental finer, she was overwhelmed by the terror and pain coming from it. And all of it linked to Avery.  
  
Lifebond. I have heard about this. I need to get there NOW before it's too late! Alder urged Kaila to her fastest pace, and braced herself. Kaila's lope was ground eating, but remarkably smooth considering the speed.  
  
At the Palace, Alder had studied maps of all the country, and had memorized strategical routes through Tonnar in case of war. And this must surely be the start of a war. Tonnar had kidnapped an heir from Emelis. They had overstepped the boundaries of law for a petty blood- feud.  
  
Soon Alder found herself passing a humongous bird-shaped boulder that she recognized as a landmark on one of the maps she had studied.  
  
Not far to Tonnar. Alder kept feeling waves of pain coming from Avery, so much that it almost paralyzed her. She tried to shield the worst of it so that she could concentrate on finding her path.  
  
Alder came to the edge of the forest, and saw a path leading into Tonnar. She could see some women dressed in muted grays hanging clothes on a wire outside their homes, and immediately noticed their similarities.  
  
They all wore dull colors and did not chatter amongst themselves like the women of Callista. They seemed to look alike too. All had dark brown hair and were very tan. They did resemble the people of Emelis a great deal, despite the lack of color.  
  
And then she realized that she wouldn't be able to pretend that she was from Tonnar. None of the women were in the streets, and none of them had any animals that they lead. She wouldn't be able to cast an illusion, because she would still be out of place. She would have to become invisible much sooner than she had expected.  
  
Alder dismounted quickly. She reached into her saddle bags and removed four pieces of cloth, and four strings. She grabbed the first cloth, and leaned down. She picked up Kai's front hoof, and wrapped the cloth around it. She tied it in place with the rope, and then continued to wrap the rest of Kai's hooves. Kai didn't much like having her hooves covered, but it was necessary. To walk through Tonnar unnoticed, they would have to be invisible, and it wouldn't do to have the sound of Kai's hooves arousing suspicion. After all, nothing was supposed to be there.  
  
After Alder remounted, she gave Kai the 'guard' signal, and slid into a trance. She reached into her Channels and clocked herself and Kai with her invisibility magic. It was slightly disorienting to look down and see the ground so far below. Kai, unperturbed by the magic that surrounded her, continued to guard. Alder released Kai's guard, and urged her forwards down the road at a slow pace, as to not cause unnecessary noise.  
  
She inched her way down the road at a pace that kept her in agony, but she knew that she had to go slowly, or else she could be caught. She finally reached the end of the first road, and turned on to the road that lead to the main holding. In the distance, she could see that there was a passing point ahead that you had to get checked by to pass into the main holding.  
  
Why would they have a checking point to get into the main house? Something is going on here. I don't like this. She unshielded a bit, to check on her lifebonded. She was surprised to find that the terror was gone completely. In fact, everything had gone completely. She wasn't receiving anything from the bond. She could tell that Avery was still alive, but she wasn't feeling anything, either physically or emotionally. Something was VERY wrong here.  
  
Hellfires. I'm going to have to tie Kai up somewhere. Thank gods that she is so well trained. Alder dismounted silently, and lead Kaila into the bushes. It was also her good luck that it was so early in the morning, as not too many men were out on the roads. Alder found an out of the way alcove with an air of disuse. She quickly told Kai to stay in place, and rummaged through the saddle bags by feel to find a little bottle.  
  
She walked back down the road to the pass-through post. There were four men waiting in line to enter the pass-through booth. She waited behind the men as the first three passed through. It seemed to take about three minutes per person. She would have to act fast.  
  
The man in front of her waited impatiently as he awaited his turn to get passed through into the holding. The badge on his green uniform indicated that he was a Commander. She quickly reached for her bottle in her pocket, and opened it. She put one hand over his mouth tightly so he could not yell. She put the bottle under his nose, and his protests immediately subsided. He fell over limp into her arms. She eased him down onto the ground, grabbed his ID card and unpinned his badge from his coat. She immediately recreated his image in an illusion so complete that no one would second guess her identity.  
  
She cast a spell of invisibility over the man quickly. She didn't have much time. She quickly hid his unconscious form in the bushes. The poison that she had used would wear off in a couple hours, leaving him with no memories of what had happened. He would wake up in the bushes, and think he had drunkenly fallen asleep in the bushes the night before. As for the ID card and badge, he could always get another one later.  
  
Alder quickly checked the ID card. Blake Cabot. Just at that moment, the guard came out. And all of that in three minutes. "Come in," the guard said. Alder followed him into the booth, and was ushered into a seat. "Name."  
  
"Commander Blake Cabot."  
  
"Reason for entering the holding?"  
  
"Guard Duty. I have to be at my Command Post," Alder replied, trying to make her voice masculine.  
  
"ID?" he prompted, and Alder passed over Blake's ID card. He looked from the picture on the card to Alder, and saw nothing out of place. "Commander, do you know when the plan will go into play? Has the Master told the ranks when it will initiate?"  
  
"I do not yet know. He hasn't told us yet," Alder improvised. A plan? That even the guards are in on? Oh gods. I'll have to see what this is about.  
  
"All right. You may go," he said, and opened a door to the other side of the booth. 


	16. Chapter 16

Avery wanted so much to stretch her aching muscles, but she couldn't even close her eyes, much less bat an eyelash. She couldn't move.  
  
It wasn't because she was exhausted, although if she could move, her exhaustion would be an issue. She physically could not move. She couldn't utter the moan that pleaded to escape her throat.  
  
She could certainly feel. Feel all the pain in her aching limbs. Feel every single welt that marred her body. Feel the chill breeze in the room whisk over her naked form.  
  
Her whole body felt like one big bruise, and her head ached with a vengeance. Her hand was shattered, and her whole body was a bloody mess. The pain from her injuries left her in a constant agony, to no avail.  
  
The pain called tears to her eyes, and she didn't even resist. She couldn't. If she survived this, it would take her months to recover. She might never regain the full use of her hand again.  
  
Avery wasn't sure that she WANTED to close her eyes, despite the dryness. She was afraid. She didn't want to have the scene replay in her mind. She was having a hard enough time banishing the images from her idle mind with her eyes opened.  
  
She also didn't want Aidan to come in on her unaware. She was terrified. Tears swept down her cheeks, and she was unable to stem the flow. The tears eased the dryness in her eyes, and the physical outlet of her pain helped, however slightly. She cried for her pain, she cried for the anguish she felt inside. She didn't feel as if she could ever be whole again.  
  
Aidan. that sadistic bastard. He didn't even give me the chance to fight. He paralyzed my body, without a single thought. Disabled my body, and locked my idle thoughts into the back of my mind. Put a barrier between me and my whole body. He didn't even have the mercy to close my eyes. And I will never be able to forget the cruelty and malice in his blood-red eyes.  
  
Even if I am rescued, all they will be rescuing is an empty shell. My battered body, with no sign of life besides a pulse. They'll look into my glazed eyes, and pronounce me clinically insane. Lost. No way to pull me back. And nothing I can do about it.  
  
The hopeless thoughts made her tears multiply. She didn't want to deal with the torment any longer. She wished endlessly for an end to the pain. An end to her life. But her prayers were not answered. 


	17. Chapter 17

As soon as Alder had entered the building, she, as Commander Blake Cabot, had been hailed by a page.  
  
"Commander, sir, the Master Adept Aidan would like to see you," he squeaked. "Follow me, if you please."  
  
Hellfires. a mage? He'll be able to see through my illusion if he is an Adept. Wait. Keren once taught me how to anchor the illusion in the Void, that empty space where Gates were formed. I'll have to re-make my illusion though. Alder started to panic at the lack of time and the trouble facing her.  
  
Alder followed the page through many twisting hallways, and wondered how she would ever find her way back if she needed to. Alder followed the page upstairs, and finally they reached two large double doors plated in gold. The page nervously knocked on the doors, and stepped back. He turned and left Alder all alone in the hallway, to await whoever would open the door.  
  
Thank whichever gods are watching over me. Alder thought as she tore down the illusion. She re-made it, and found an anchor in the Void quickly. She completed the spell, checked illusion for any mistakes. She found none.  
  
A minute later, a body guard opened the door, and ushered her in. Inside, sitting behind a desk, was the most spine-chilling man she had ever seen. Tall, apparent even while he was sitting. Thin, his skin stretched over his bones tightly. Youthful, and yet old at the same time. He had long black hair tied back in a pony tail. His eyelid and cheek were scarred, and his eyes were blood red.  
  
She knew she had found the Adept who had made the barrier. He Felt the same. Disgusting, filthy, and radiating the pain of others. And she could sense it deep within her, that one of those people was Avery. Anger welled inside her, so much that a thin red mist shrouded her eyes for a second before she regained her composure. She had outwardly made no sign of her anger, luckily. She held it in, stood with her arms behind her back, and waited for Aidan to speak.  
  
"Commander, we have a new update on the plan. We have the girl Avery in our possession," the mage said coldly. Alder nodded, thinking it was the right thing to do.  
  
Possession. She is a possession. Oh gods.  
  
"And I would like to put you and your first squad down near her cell. We want to take extreme caution with her. I want all the guards on there that I can spare. And since today is a busy day. what with our getting the army troupes in from Daria, and our ransoming the girl. We can't spare many."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"I'll have my personal servant bring you to the cell. Now be off," he said, motioning to his servant to take Alder out. She nodded, and left with the servant.  
  
They went down many flights of stairs, and through many twisting hallways before they arrived in a dark hallway with red lanterns. There was a door at the end of the hallway with bars locking the entrance. "That's her cell, sir. Your instructions are to guard, make sure no one enters but Lord Master Aidan, you or your first squad," the servant said, and turned to leave.  
  
Alder patrolled the hallways, looking for an escape. How could she smuggle Avery out of the holding without attracting attention. How would she ever pull it off? She could tell that she had to get out of here, soon. Avery's life force was fading slowly.  
  
Commander Cabot's first squad arrived just as she was about to enter Avery's cell. There were only four men there. This must be an elite guard. "Sir!" a tall blonde saluted her. The badge on his shoulder signified that he was a Private.  
  
"Hello, Private. Our assignment is to guard a hostage's cell. Make sure that no one enters but myself or Master Aidan," Alder said, not including that the squad was allowed to go in. She didn't want anyone to go in there but herself. She knew that guards in places like these had a tendency to take what they would of the hostage's body. She was terrified, and very worried for Avery's well being.  
  
Alder kept pacing the hallway, and stationed the guard down the hall, and around the different stairwells. She tried to put them as far away from the cell as she could without being obvious about it.  
  
As soon as she has most of them out of sight and earshot, she went to check the locks on the door. They were easily opened. They weren't worried that Avery would somehow open the door. that was a bad sign.  
  
Alder opened the door, and slipped inside quietly. She closed the door behind her, and found that it was pitch black in the cell. The smell of the place was nauseating. Too many conflicting putrid scents pushed at her nose, and made her stomach try to rebel. She cast a mage light over her head, and choked back a sob at what she saw.  
  
Avery, blank eyes glazed over, was staring off into space. She was naked, her clothes torn and bloody strewn across the floor. Her thighs were battered and bruised. Her whole body was covered in welts, and her hand was shattered and bloody. She sat propped up against the wall, her leg twisted underneath her. She didn't move at all.  
  
Alder ran over to the motionless Avery, her mage-light flickering overhead. She fell to the floor next to Avery ungracefully, and tears splashed her cheeks. She ran a finger over Avery's bruised cheek, but Avery was still unmoving.  
  
"Avery. it's Alder. I'm here with you. You are hurt. I'm going to get you back to Emelis, where they can Heal you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Please respond. please. everything is going to be all right," Alder whispered desperately, hoping for Avery to wake up out of her seeming slumber.  
  
Tears rolled down Avery's cheeks, but she still didn't move. Her eyes never blinked, her body never twitched even through the pain she had to be feeling. Alder wiped the tears from Avery's cheeks. She closed Avery's eyes for her. She had the feeling that she was incapable of moving. that somehow Aidan had done this to her. The whole experience must have sent Avery into shock.  
  
Alder sent out her presence into Avery's mind, hoping to find something there. :Avery?: she Mind-Sent, but received no answer. There was a barrier in Avery's mind that Alder could not pass, and it reeked of Aidan's magic.  
  
  
  
Avery had inwardly cringed when the door had opened. She had feared the worst, that Aidan or his guards had come again to 'play' with her. The light had yet again blinded her, and when the spots had cleared from her eyes, she saw that her thoughts were justified. A tall man came in, and immediately formed an ice-blue mage light.  
  
Ice-blue. that's the color of Alder's Mage-Gift. I wonder how she is dealing with all of this.  
  
The man had seen her battered body, and had run over to her and slumped to the floor. Tears flooded the man's eyes, and he whimpered at the sight of such violence. The man had ran a finger down her cheek, and she was repulsed by the touch. The man seemed to mean her no harm, and seemed to have enough Empathy to be alarmed by her unshielded mind.  
  
And then he had whispered to her, "Avery. it's Alder. I'm here with you. You are hurt. I'm going to get you back to Emelis, where they can Heal you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Please respond. please. everything is going to be all right."  
  
And it had made sense. The ice-blue fire of Alder's Mage-Gift. the sound of her voice. Alder had to be using an illusion. That was the only way she would have been able to sneak into Tonnar. By using someone's image, and using that to get to her. She was here to rescue her.  
  
Her conflicting emotions of relief and despair provoked the tears to come again. Relief, that Alder would take her out of here. That she would be safe from her tormentors. That she would be Healed and the pain in her body would leave her.  
  
Despair, that as she felt Alder's presence in her mind, she knew that Alder couldn't break through the barrier that Aidan had created. That she might never be able to break it. That she would be living in the depths of her own mind for all of time.  
  
Despair, that even as Alder brushed her tears away and closed her eyes, she cringed from her beloved's touch. 


	18. 18

He sat in his office, a large glass plate propped up in front of him. The edges of the glass were laced in blood-red magic. He muttered, "Queen Lissa." Images appeared in the glass of the Council Chamber, of an apprehensive Queen Lissa, her anxious consort Andrew, and some worried Council members.  
  
Both parties had a spelled glass plate that allowed them to hold conferences long distance magically. Lissa noticed the connection, and turned to her glass. She nodded her head in acknowledgement, and he did the same.  
  
"Lissa. I am sure that you know of the current situation," Aidan said, avoiding formality. Lissa would never rule him. She was not his Queen. Someday he would sit upon her pretty throne.  
  
"The lady Avery is missing, taken from her room in the middle of the night. Who are you?"  
  
"Master Adept Aidan. She is safe in my holding, for now. And don't even try to put us under siege. Tonnar has an army larger than the Royal Army."  
  
"You do realize that this is a crime punishable by life imprisonment. What do you ask in return for Avery?"  
  
"Death is not enough to confine me. In return for Avery, I ask for the rights to Emelis, and everything in it," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
"That is unheard of! You can't possibly expect the Crown to give you the whole Emelis estate," Lissa said, her voice edging on hysteria.  
  
"I can, and do. I am going to have it with or without your 'permission'. I just think it would be easier for you to give it up now, before people get hurt," Aidan said, and glared at Lissa. "I'll give you some time to consider it," Aidan said, and severed the connection. The last thing he saw of the Council Chamber was a gaping Lissa, an angry Andrew, and exasperated Council members expressing their outrage.  
  
Yes, the ransom is high. The girl for all the rights to Emelis. and everything in it. But it should have been ours to begin with. We just took the law into our own hands. All my people want is justice, and I am giving it to them. I am giving them more than they could ever have wished for. An army bigger than the Royal Army itself, and power.  
  
Even if she doesn't give me Emelis, I am going to have it. The troupes from Daria are larger and more powerful than even I had expected. The combined force will be enough to overthrow the Queen herself.  
  
Will I even give Avery up? She makes a good toy. Aidan thought, and pushed his chair back to stand up. I'll go check on her now.  
  
  
  
  
  
Alder searched the room for any possible escape, but there was none. She considered spelling Avery to become feather-light, and then making both of them invisible. She could carry Avery out, but it would be so hard to avoid all the people in the hallways, without bringing attention to the sounds that her feet made.  
  
She began to think that the situation was hopeless. She had tried to break the shield in Avery's mind without causing any damage to Avery, but found that the shield was too strong to break without shattering her mind.  
  
She had tried desperately to call Avery back to her, but it hadn't worked. Avery hadn't shown any sign of progress. Alder had tried sending emotions through their Lifebond, but she never received the waves back.  
  
The door unexpectedly opened behind her, but it was too fast for her to banish her ice-blue Mage-Light. She left the Mage-Light out. The damage had already been done, and she at least would be able to see who was there. She abruptly turned to face the door, and her jaw dropped.  
  
Of all people, Aidan stood in the doorway, Tyrel behind him. Alder's body was numb in shock, and her jaw dropped.  
  
"Why, hello, Commander Cabot. I was not aware that you were a mage. But wait! You are not Commander Cabot, are you? Clever, yes. very clever. I wouldn't have immediately seen right through your illusion, since it is linked into the Void. and it wouldn't be likely for me to just look into the Void for illusions. Very clever. So let's see who you are!" he said affably.  
  
She felt her link into the Void being snapped, and the magic in her illusion lashed back at her as it fluctuated. She was whipped to the floor by the rogue magic, and she sat there, gasping. She looked down at herself, and saw her own skin, her own clothes. She looked up, and saw Tyrel gasping.  
  
"Master Aidan, it's her! The girl that I Saw making the future unsure. Alder of Callista," Tyrel squeaked.  
  
"Alder of Callista. what brings you into Tonnar on this lovely day?" Aidan asked. Alder just glared at him. She wouldn't have him playing games with her.  
  
Alder's mind was racing with ways that she could escape Aidan. She was terrified of rape. she wanted so much to vomit with fear at the thought.  
  
Get a hold of yourself. I have to get OUT of here. but it's too far to get back to Emelis. not enough time. If there was a way to cross so much distance in such a short time.  
  
Gating. Keren had explained the theory millions of times. She would need a doorway or something to create the Portal in. She would intertwine all of her power stores into a web of power laced into the doorway. She would think only of the place that she wanted to come out, and create the magical web around that image. And when it was complete, she would see through to the place she was coming through. She would cross the Portal, and then dissipate all the magic slowly. She would be left extremely drained, but at this point she had no other choice.  
  
"Did you really think that you would be able to rescue her? That's so cute. But you are too late. getting Avery's mind back is past your expertise," he said, advancing on her until she could feel his breath on her neck. "You can try, but it will probably only result in hurting her mind. Now, what will I do with you? For trespassing, trying to steal my property." he mused, and Alder stepped back.  
  
"She is no more your property than mine. You do not own her. You will not do whatever you please with her. She is human, and deserves to be TREATED as such. You have done things to her that no human should ever have to suffer through," she said so coldly that she felt a chill run up her spine.  
  
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Aidan asked, his red eyes blazing with anger. He scratched his sharp nails down her arm slowly, drawing blood.  
  
"How DARE you hurt her like that?" Alder said, ignoring the pain. She jerked her arm back from Aidan's grip, and slapped him.  
  
"You little bitch. Enjoy rotting in hell," he said, his red mage-fire burning fiercely in his palms.  
  
"See you there," Alder said, and Aidan blasted her body into the wall with his Mage-Gift. She could feel her arm snap under the pressure. She was gasping for breath as Aidan advanced upon her. And then she did something that Aidan most certainly didn't expect. She could see him shielding in case she initiated a magical attack, but he had nothing protecting him physically.  
  
He wouldn't expect a girl, not to mention half his size, with a broken arm to protest. She got her feet under her subtly, without him noticing. She jumped up, and charged him, and kicked him with all her force backwards. He stumbled backwards, and fell through the door, on top of Tyrel.  
  
She put a shield in front of the door on their side to keep Aidan and Tyrel out. She linked the barrier into the Void. That would buy her more time. It took a while to find the link in the vast Void, and longer to destroy it. She could see them through the ice-blue barrier as they tried to untangle themselves from each other, and then got to work.  
  
Should I link the Gate to the Palace or to Emelis? Her family will want to be with her, but Emelis isn't safe right now.  
  
She laced the doorway with her magic, and intertwined a web of power into the Portal. She thought only of the Northern Gate coming into Brighton. She couldn't be assured that any of the doors she was familiar with would be open, and there could be problems if the door she made the Portal in was closed.  
  
The arched Northern gate coming into Brighton was small, and very rarely used, because it was the rear entrance into Brighton. The Southern gate was much larger, and very busy.  
  
Alder tried her best to concentrate on the Gate and finishing the intricate mesh of magic, but the pain in her broken arm sent lances of fire through her body. A wisp of power disentangled itself from the web and shot out from her, and that brought her out of her stupor. She wove the thread of power back into the network, and concentrated on the image of the Northern Gate.  
  
She could hear Aidan's muffled screams of outrage as he saw what she was doing. Finally she completed the web of power. It had taken all of her energy stores, and she knew that she wouldn't stay conscious much longer. She had performed a magical feat that most people with twice her training could not accomplish.  
  
Just as the rear of the Palace swarmed into view where the barrier had been, she suddenly felt the link in the Void holding the barrier in place snapping. She tried her best to resist the backlash, but she yet again it lashed her and she fell to the floor. She concentrated through the pain on the Gate, keeping it intact.  
  
She ran over to Avery's unconscious form, and levered her into a more manageable position with her unbroken arm. She managed to get her knee underneath Avery's back, and it was useless. She was running out of energy. The Gate was sucking her Life-Force out of her. She needed to banish the Gate, and soon.  
  
With one last thought of resolution, she grabbed Avery in both arms, tears involuntarily streaming down her face at the agony she felt in her arm. She screeched through the pain, but ran towards the Gate.  
  
As she passed through it, she felt the odd sensation that Keren had described to her of passing through a Gate. The feeling was definitely disorienting. She felt her stomach drop from underneath her. She had enough restraint in her to lower Avery to the ground gently before she retched as she fell to the ground. In her last seconds of consciousness, she dissipated the magic from the Gate, and passed out. 


	19. 19

It was dark when Alder woke up. She couldn't force herself to open her eyes. She felt weak, and drained. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was fall back into the comfortable folds of sleep.  
  
Something at the back of her mind nagged at her that there was something important that she had to do, that she should open her eyes. She didn't care. She shoved the feeling into the back of her mind.  
  
How had she gotten into bed? She didn't remember the last time she had been awake. For a minute, she didn't even remember who she was. All that mattered was sleep. She rolled over onto her arm, and felt a distant throbbing in her arm, and when she tried to move it, she found that it was in a cast.  
  
How- what? How did I break my arm? Alder opened her eyes, to have the light of a candle break through her stupor. And with the light, the memories flooded back. Someone in Healer's Greens sat in a chair next to her bed, reading. She couldn't see his face from where she sat, but knew it was a male. So she was in the Healer's building. She quietly surveyed her surroundings, not alerting the Healer to the fact that she was awake.  
  
She remembered Aidan breaking her illusion, seeing her for who she really was. Him coming up to her, scarring her arm. His words echoed through her mind, "You little bitch. Enjoy rotting in hell," and how he had blasted her with his Mage-Gift into the wall. That was when her arm had snapped.  
  
In her resolution, she had thought she had better die fighting, rather than laying herself down at Aidan's feet. So she had attacked him. And he had not expected it, so he had gone tumbling through the door. She had blocked them from entering the room with a Mage-barrier, and had tried to construct a magical Gate.  
  
Just as she had finished the Gate, he had shattered her barrier. It had taken more strength than she had to keep the Gate intact, and she still had to get Avery through it with her. She had picked Avery up despite her broken arm, and had run through the Gate. She had set Avery down on the ground, and let herself droop to the earth.  
  
The pain in her arm and the sensation of passing through the Gate overwhelmed her, and she had thrown up. She had dissipated the Gate's magic, and that's when she had allowed herself to fall into the darkness, her resolution fading.  
  
And now she was here, in the Healer's quarters. How long had she been out cold? Where was Avery? Was she okay? Was she able to move again? All of these questions rushed her mind, each one trying to take precedence over the others, and her head ached terribly.  
  
The Healer glanced over at Alder, and saw that her eyes were open. He put his book down, and came into Alder's sight range. "You are awake," Gary stated, for now Alder could see his face, and she recognized the Healer.  
  
"I am," Alder responded calmly. She knew that she couldn't rush things, or else the Healers would drug her back to sleep and tell her that she couldn't see Avery.  
  
"You have been unconscious for quite some time, Alder. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Thinking makes my head hurt, and I am exhausted. How long have I been out cold?"  
  
"Six days. Long enough for Keren, Damon, and Avery's family to come back to Brighton. They have all been worried sick about you. And so has the Queen. You are a vital player in this game. No one knows exactly what happened in Tonnar's holding. You made quite a scene, coming through a Gate in the Northern entrance. All we could see was a dark cell on the other side. You came through, looking terribly sick, and bloody. You set a naked and battered Avery down, and threw up, got rid of the Gate, and passed out. As you probably know, that caused a lot of commotion in the Palace."  
  
"How is Avery?" she asked, already dreading the answer.  
  
A look of loss passed over Gary's face, but he quickly covered it. "I hate to be the one to break the news to you. she seems to have gone into a magical coma, of sorts. The only sign of life in her is a pulse. Keren encountered a magical barrier in her mind, created by the dark Adept, Aidan. They cannot pass it, without hurting her mind. We were consulting on helping her slip into an endless sleep, but Keren said we had to consult you first, as her Lifebonded," Gary looked down at her with sympathy and compassion, but she couldn't handle the news.  
  
"No. You can't. You can't kill her. And don't deny it, that's what it is," Alder said, tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"Alder, think rationally for a minute. there is almost no chance of bringing her back. It would be doing her a favor. She will be living in the back of her own mind for the rest of her life if we don't help her. If we don't, she will probably go insane."  
  
"Rationally? How do you expect me to think rationally?" Alder said, howling. "No, no, she won't go insane. You have no idea. You can't kill her," Alder screeched hysterically, sobbing. Her throat seized, and hurt as she tried to repress the tears. She couldn't, and the tears flooded down her cheeks.  
  
Alder was hysterical. She couldn't express the depression, anger, and hopelessness for all the world. She was insanely angry at Gary, and all of the Healers.  
  
Alder grabbed her pillow and threw it as hard as she could at Gary. It hit him hard across the face, and his expression displayed of shock. She grabbed a vase on her bedside table, and shattered it into pieces against the wall. The pieces fell to the ground, water dripping over the tiled floor, and flowers crushed.  
  
Gary's words had shattered her heart into tiny pieces, and would only be brought back together when Avery was better. She couldn't live without Avery. If she died, she would take a part of Alder with her. If Avery died, it would not be long before Alder ended her own life.  
  
"Blood for blood, Gary," she screamed. "You kill her, and I go with her. I will kill myself, I swear to every god that I will if she dies."  
  
"Alder, you are only fifteen! You have all of your life ahead of you," Gary said, but knew it was a lost case.  
  
"Damn it, Gary, you have a Mind-Healing Gift, you know better than I do that one half of a Lifebond can't survive!"  
  
Alder thrashed in her bed, part of her sanity gone. And then all of her shields broke. Her Gift of Empathy went rogue, and she could not control it. She projected her suicidal depression and her irrational, uncontrollable anger at everyone in her vast range. Her projection was so strong that it overwhelmed even those with the strongest of shields. Every single person in the Healer's building was forced to live through her insanity.  
  
Tears streamed down Gary's face, and he had his hands over his ears, as if that would block out her emotions. "Damn it, Alder! CLAMP IT DOWN! You are not a trainee!" he yelled fiercely, and tried his best to create his own rudimentary shield around Alder.  
  
She didn't even hear his plead. She couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't even feel the pain from the shards of glass from the vase that had sliced her hand.  
  
All of the sudden she felt a needle piercing her arm, and she whirled around to see a female Healer that she didn't recognize injecting a tranquilizer into her bloodstream. She couldn't resist the Healer's strong grip, and soon she fell back into darkness. 


	20. 20

"I'm not going to be happy for a week after feeling that," Keren stated. It had been hours since Alder's breakdown, but most people were still only recovering from the extreme shock of living through someone else's emotions.  
  
Alder's suicidal projection had left many people unsure of their own emotions. It was like being stuck in Empathy. They had stepped into Alder's shoes, but didn't know how to get out. It was a step away from having identity crises for some people. Keren was one of the first people to release themselves from the grip that Alder's projection on them held.  
  
Mind-Healers roamed the building, helping people come back unto themselves. Alder was due to wake up any minute from her induced state of slumber. Keren and a few other mages had put tight shields around Alder, in case she had another breakdown.  
  
Keren had no idea what to do about the Lifebonded couple. If Avery died, Alder would death-will herself. But what could they do about Avery? She seemed to be unreachable. The Healers had tried to call her back, but it was useless. Keren and Damon had both tried calling her back, and delicately tried to get rid of the barrier surrounding Avery's mind, but it was useless.  
  
No one could reach her. Keren wanted to have Alder try to call her back, but she didn't want to get Alder's hopes up. There was very little chance of Avery regaining mobility with her mind still intact.  
  
Alder had been in hysterics when she had screamed to Gary how half of a Lifebond couldn't survive. and it's true, the younger people who had a Lifebond severed usually didn't survive. But I did. Hardly anyone knows about my past.  
  
  
  
  
  
Years ago, when Keren was in her late adolescent years, she had been discovered by the head Mage, Jonathan, from Brighton's Palace. He was barely older than she was, four years at most, but had been trained as a mage since his Gift had developed as a child.  
  
He had told her that her Mage-Gift was immensely powerful, and wanted her to become his apprentice, to learn the uses of her Gift. He estimated that she would become an Adept, and had enough common sense to take his place as the head Mage on Council when he retired.  
  
His black hair contrasted her white-blonde hair, and he had deep sapphire eyes that she had drowned in the moment their eyes first met. She felt as if she had known him forever.  
  
As they grew to know each other, she found that they were complete polar opposites, his dark to her light. He was serious, and driven. She was playful, and care-free. But somehow opposites attracted, and she fell in love with him.  
  
She tried to avoid him; it wouldn't do to fall in love with her teacher. There could be problems. It was very risky for a Mage-student to take her teacher as a lover. If they fought on a personal level, their magic could backfire. If they fought over something in their classes together, it would cause problems in their relationship.  
  
But she couldn't stand to be apart from him. It hurt to be away from him. And one day they both couldn't stand shying away from the situation any longer, and had professed their love for each other, and discovered their Lifebond. That had been the happiest day of her life.  
  
They didn't face many problems. They couldn't stay mad at each other for long. She had moved into his quarters, and they continued their lessons until she had reached her full potential at Adept status. Then she had joined the Mage-Council at the young age of 24, her lover 28.  
  
They had been famous throughout the Palace for their undying love for each other. Neither could ever be tempted to infidelity. They lived the perfect lives: a story book romance, working as partners on the Mage-Council, on name basis with the Queen herself as advisors.  
  
But then a war had erupted with Daria. That was the day that had changed her life forever.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Keren?" she felt calloused hands place themselves on her shoulders, and she was roused from her flashback. She looked up into the caring eyes of her dearest friend. One of the only people who knew. a tear rolled down Keren's cheek, but she did not divert her gaze from Kat's. "Jonathan?" she whispered, and Keren nodded.  
  
"The situations are so similar. I lost my only love, my Lifebonded. I do not want that for Alder. When she lost control and projected her emotions, it took me back to the time when Jonathan." There was no need to say the words. The memory brought back so much pain. She had never fully Healed, how could she? She had lost her better half.  
  
"When we felt her projection, I think that everyone in the whole building replayed the worst moment of their lives in their mind. I am so sorry, Keren. I know how much you loved him," Kat whispered, brushing the tears off Keren's face. Keren regained her composure. It had been years since Jonathan's demise. She would never forget him, she never wanted to, and she couldn't if she had tried.  
  
After a moment, Kat added, "Alder is stirring. I think that you could be a great help to her, if you could relive it one last time. You are alive, you are still leading a great life. And she needs to know that she can survive."  
  
Keren nodded, and stood up. Kat embraced her, gave her a nod of encouragement, and led Keren to Alder's room. Keren let herself into the room, to see Alder sitting up in bed, staring blankly at the wall opposite her. She didn't move even as Keren came in.  
  
Keren sat down on a chair next to Alder's bed. Keren turned to see Kat give her a thumbs up signal, smile, and closed the door behind her. "Hello, Alder," Keren said. Alder said nothing, and just sat there.  
  
Keren decided to Mind-Speak Alder, instead, so Alder would know she was always telling the truth. It was impossible to lie using Mind- Speech. :Alder. Please respond, I want to help you. I am here for you.:  
  
Alder still didn't move, but Keren could hear her voice echoing in her mind. :All right. Fix me.:  
  
:You can only be helped if you want to be helped.:  
  
:I DO want to get out of my own private hell. I want out.:  
  
:I will not help you by allowing you to kill yourself.:  
  
:Then how in bloody hell could you possibly even assume to help me? If she died. if you helped her die, if you killed her, I would die too.:  
  
:I know that it feels that way. I really do know how it feels. Just give me a chance, Alder.:  
  
:How could you know how it feels? You have never been Lifebonded, you don't know how it would feel to lose your other half.:  
  
:Not only do I know what it would be like, I do know what it is like to lose your other half. I lost mine.: Alder's lost her immobile form, and turned to face Keren. Her eyes were questioning, as if she didn't believe Keren. :I lost my one true love, my Lifebonded. I survived. You can survive too.: Alder shook her head in disbelief and protest.  
  
Keren sighed. Alder wouldn't believe her until Keren told her the whole of it. She really didn't want to go into her history again. It was a painful ordeal to retell it.  
  
:His name was Jonathan. He was the Head-Mage on the Council, and he chose me as his protégé. I had enough magic to become his successor, even if I was only four years his junior. Sometimes I think that he ForeSaw his early demise.: Keren Mind-Spoke softly. Her MindSpeech carried an image of Jonathan, and the emotions accompanying it.  
  
:He had a large, but unpredictable ForeSight Gift. He could never tell what was a true vision and what was just his idle mind. We fell in love, discovered our Lifebond, and moved in together. We worked together on the Mage-Council as advisors to the queen. Everything was perfect.: Keren said, pausing. Alder's eyes were closed as she viewed the mental images that Keren had Sent with her words.  
  
:A war erupted with Daria during the winter. There was a shortage of mages in Aletha at the time. Both Jonathan and I were sent to the border to battle the Darians. The Dark Adept of Daria, Ilina, had been controlling her soldiers by coercion spells. She had every single soldier under a coercion spell, all bound by Blood Magic.: Keren said, and winced.  
  
:We were working together on the front lines. Jon and I had retreated back the second line to work a more difficult Far-Sight endeavor to find the Dark Adept. I had the Far-Sight, but I needed his reserves to attempt the search, to get through the Adept's shields. We had posted body guards around us, to protect us. We were so deep in a trance searching for her that we didn't even notice when the front lines had retreated, and our body guards had been shot down. We finally found the Dark Adept. And then Jonathan was shot. An arrow through his rib cage. It was fatal, I knew it, he knew it. He told me to be strong, that he wanted me to carry on a normal life, to succeed him as the Head-Mage on Council. He told me that he loved me, and that he had no regrets. And I told him that I loved him, to wait for me, even as he took his last breath. And he died in my arms, on the battle field.:  
  
A tear rolled down Keren's cheek, and Alder blinked. :What did you do?:  
  
:I lost control. In a mad rage, I went after the Dark Adept Ilina. I challenged her to a Mage-Duel. I killed her, and nearly killed myself. I won't lie, I wanted to. I wanted to die. After I had found and killed Ilina, I lay down in the snow, and hoped to die. I was very far away from the battlefield; no one would ever find me. But someone did.: Keren said, and smiled through the tears.  
  
:It was Kat who saved me. Somehow I had survived being unconscious in the snow for hours, and she had picked me up out of the snow. She had found me near the mountain path, after seeing plumes of oddly colored smoke from the Mage-Duel. She took me back to her village, and helped me recover from the severe pneumonia that I had gotten from being out in the snow for so long. She accompanied me back to Brighton, and got a post as the Horse Mistress there. I do know how it feels to have that empty void where your beloved should be. I KNOW how much it hurts. What kept me alive was my Duty. Many of the remaining mages of Brighton had been killed in the war. I had to resume my post of Head Mage on the Council. Lissa needed me.: Keren said, sighing.  
  
:I kept busy, and now I am able to deal with the loss of my beloved. You will be able to survive, too. I know you can. You are strong, even if you don't know it. There are some people whose lives would be torn apart by your loss. Mine, for one. There are a lot of people who love you.:  
  
:Thank you, Keren. I am sorry. Sorry about Jonathan. sorry about not believing you. Sorry about my breakdown earlier,: Alder said, her MindVoice intoned with emotion.  
  
There was a knock on the door, and immediately Queen Lissa entered her hospital room. She nodded her head, and sat down on a second chair next to Alder's bed. "I am very sorry to interrupt you two, but this is important. You are the only one who knows what happened down in that cell. Alder, would you be able to retell it? I know it may be painful, but it's crucial."  
  
"Where do I start?" Alder whispered.  
  
"Start at coming in to Emelis, and crossing Tonnar's gates, if you please," Lissa said.  
  
"All right. We passed Tonnar's gates wearing a glamour, so as not to be recognized. We used fake names to get through. Keren was Kerry, I was Elda, Damon was Daren, and Avery was Ivory. Damon didn't think that those names were safe, as they were too close to our normal names. And he was probably right. We got into Emelis, which was a wreck due to Tonnar's attacks. Avery went up to see her sick father. She was there when he died.  
  
"I went up to see her in her room. She was sitting in the window sill with a knife in her hand. She was planning to kill herself. I stopped her, and let her cry herself out. And then I put a weak sleeping spell on her to nudge her into sleep.  
  
"I woke up before dawn the next day, after having a Vision of sorts. I had seen her being taken away from me. And I went up to her room, and she was gone. There were signs of a struggle. and I threw a bolt at the barrier, and it reflected back.  
  
"We went out to the barrier. Damon touched it, and was rendered unconscious from the Blood-magic. Keren and I decided I would be the one to infiltrate Tonnar's holding, because I could hold the invisibility spells. She blasted the shield, and when I awoke, I went down the paths into Tonnar.  
  
"And there, I put hoof-mufflers on Kai, so as not to make noise. I made both of us invisible, and rode down to the main holding. I saw that there was a guard station that you had to pass to get into Tonnar. I hid Kai. Kai! Oh my god." Alder trailed off.  
  
Keren laughed, for the first time since coming in to see Alder. "Oh, your Kai is the talk of the Palace! She obviously sensed trouble, being the smart horse that she is, and gave up her guard and came home. She turned up four days after you came through the Gate. She just happened to be invisible. Kai came up behind Kat, invisible, and bumped into Kat to get her attention. She turned around, and there was nothing there. She reached her hand out, to feel a horse. She went around saying that a ghost of a horse was haunting her stables, until she got a mage to come over and see what was happening. She spent a long time, and finally detected your spell work on Kai. She was able to crack your spell shield around Kai, and finally she is visible again. She is safe in her stall in the stables."  
  
Alder laughed weakly at that, and continued. "Anyways, I stayed behind a couple of people trying to get into the holding, and when there was only one left and no one was around, I drugged him into unconsciousness, and pulled him into the bushes. I spelled him to become invisible. I set the spell to break when he reawakened in the morning. I took his ID, cast an illusion on myself and crossed into the holding.  
  
"I was sent up to 'Master Adept Aidan's' office. You know what he looks like, right?" Alder asked, and at Lissa's nod, she continued. "He assigned me to guarding Avery's cell with Commander Blake Cabot's first group of guards. That was sheer luck, for me. I was amazed. He told me that it would be a busy day, since troupes from Daria were coming in, and something about an Alliance with Daria," Alder said, and was interrupted by Lissa's gasp of surprise.  
  
"Tonnar is allied with Daria? Hellfires. How did we not see this coming? Daria and Aletha are still at odds. It is considered high treason to ally with Daria. This means war," Lissa said quietly. "Continue, please."  
  
"He sent me off, and I put my guards as far away from Avery's cell as I could. I went in, to find her naked, against the wall, and completely battered. Her hand was shattered, her thigh was bruised, and she had welts all over her body. Aidan had raped her. I tried to talk to her, but I got no response. She physically could not move. I checked her mind, and Aidan had set a barrier on her. I searched the room for escapes, but found none.  
  
"And then Aidan came in, with Tyrel behind him. They saw my ice-blue Mage-Light, and knew that I wasn't Commander Cabot. Aidan snapped my illusion, which I had placed in the Void. The backlash sent me to my knees. And in that spot of weakness, he came up to me. He scratched my arm, and scarred it. And then he blasted me into the wall, breaking my other arm. He advanced on me, and I attacked him. He didn't expect the physical attack, so he fell through the door on top of Tyrel. While they were tangled on top of each other, I set up a barrier linking to the Void to keep them out.  
  
"And then I remembered Keren's instructions on how to make a Gate. In the doorway, I created a Gate linking to the Northern Gate entering Brighton. I grabbed Avery through the pain in my broken arm, and carried her through the Gate. I set her down, threw up, banished the Gate, and passed out," Alder concluded.  
  
"I am sorry that you had to endure that ordeal. You displayed strength and cunning beyond your years. I am proud of you. If we weren't in this situation, I would make a formal ceremony in your honor to present you with a medal for bravery. But, as it is, I have to get back to the Council for an emergency meeting. Keren, you will be needed. This does mean war. Thank you, Alder, for telling me what happened." Lissa stood up, placed her hand gravely on Alder's shoulder, and then let herself out of Alder's hospital room.  
  
After a moment of silence, Keren stood up too. "I didn't have any chance to save my Lifebonded. I don't want to get your hopes up, but I think that you do. You, her Lifebonded, have a chance of calling her back," Keren said. "I just wanted to tell you this, before I have to leave. Lissa and I had already discussed a plan in case of war. Kat and I are both needed. And so is Damon," Keren said quietly.  
  
"What? He is so young. he can't possibly be expected to go to war," Alder said, panicking.  
  
"His birthday passed when you were unconscious. He is eighteen now. And he thinks that he will be useful there. More useful than sitting around here," Keren said gravely, and Alder nodded.  
  
"You have time to think about the decision with Avery, if you can't call her back. I love you. You are like the daughter I never had. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Keren said, and hugged Alder.  
  
"I love you too." And with that, Keren left. Alder wondered if she would ever see her again. :Be careful,: Alder Mind-Sent after Keren.  
  
:I will if you will.:  
  
:Done.:  
  
The Healers came back in a minute after Keren had left her, and drugged her to sleep despite her protests. She struggled against the wave of drowsiness that threatened to throw her into sleep, but sleep won. 


	21. 21

Alder had been in a drug-induced haze for the past five days. She was semi- conscious of the things that went on around her. Healers came in and out of her room, setting Healing spells on her broken arm, and the now-scar climbing up her other arm. She fully woke for the first time in days, to find the sun streaming in dully through the window. She swung her legs over to the other side of the bed, and rolled herself over into a seated position, groaning. She threw off her covers, and stood up abruptly.  
  
Silver mist clouded her eyes as if she had just stepped into the heart of a storm, and she fell to the ground. She let the tempest clear from her eyes, and tried again. She stood up slowly and walked across her room, her red hair hanging at her shoulders, and her pristine white invalid's dress flowing past her knees. She tried the door knob, she was locked in. She slowly walked over to the mirror in her room, and took a good look at herself.  
  
Her hair was still getting to be a brighter shade of red. The magic of using nodes had bleached her hair before, but not as much at one time. Her magical exertion of making a Gate had changed the shade of her hair, noticeably. Her eyes had also been bleached from the darker blue of the past- they now shone bright in the dull light of the window. She had a nasty scar running up one arm, and her other arm was still constricted in a cast. She turned her face away from her image and towards her window. It looked to be late afternoon, and clouds covered most of the sky. There was still some sunlight glaring through the storm clouds.  
  
Alder heard the creaking of the door behind her, and she didn't bother to turn and see who it was. It wouldn't be Avery, how could it be? No one else held any importance to her, at the moment. The door closed behind whoever her visitor was, and she heard them sit quietly in a chair by the door.  
  
A moment passed; silence. Her visitor would wait her out. Allow her to speak in her own time. She didn't want to talk, but she wanted the silence to be broken. And she knew, in this state, that her visitor's will would overcome her own.  
  
"I am awake."  
  
"That you are," came Damon's warm, masculine voice.  
  
"Damon, you aren't gone!" Alder exclaimed, and turned to embrace her friend.  
  
"I'm not gone, yet. I wanted to wait to see you awake before I have to leave. I wanted you to know that I am going to be sent to the front lines, in a group of mages who are going to try to break Aidan's hold on the border. But that isn't of importance, how do you feel?"  
  
"Numb. Damon, something has changed. you're growing up."  
  
"War makes everyone grow up faster," he said truthfully.  
  
"Don't let it change you, Damon," she said stiffly.  
  
"Nothing can change our friendship. I'll come back. I promise."  
  
"I say! If you died, I'd have to track you down in the afterlife and kill you again for leaving me!"  
  
"I'd prefer poison, please," he said seriously, and she stared incredulously at him. Then, slowly, he smiled, and she laughed.  
  
"Damon, did I hurt you?" she asked. "Avery and I being Lifebonded, I mean." She felt as if somehow she owed him an apology, for things she couldn't control. She loved Damon so much as a friend, and she felt as if she could somehow have changed the way she was, and how she felt. She didn't want him to leave for war with things unsettled.  
  
"No, Alder. Don't worry about it. I want you both to be happy," he said, and a smile covered his face. "You'll look so cute together," he said, smiling, inviting her to share the joke.  
  
"If she lives," Alder replied gravely.  
  
"The chances of saving Avery don't look good. No one can call her back. I tried, Keren and Kat both tried. The Queen herself tried to call her back, before she left. Nothing has brought even a spark of life out of her. Now, the thing is, there is a chance that your bond with her will bring her back."  
  
"I already know this," Alder said wearily.  
  
"Good luck, Alder," Damon said, hugging her again.  
  
"Thank you. Good luck to you, too. Write to me, please?"  
  
"When I can."  
  
"Goodbye, Damon. I love you. Be safe."  
  
"Farewell, Alder. I love you too," he said, and turned to leave her room. As he slipped out of her hospital room, Healer Gary entered.  
  
"I see that you are awake, Alder."  
  
"Hello, Gary," Alder said, looking him squarely in the eyes.  
  
"You are finally in control," he said more as a statement than a question.  
  
"As much as I can be."  
  
"It's time, Alder. Do you wish to see Avery?"  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
  
  
It was dark. But then again, Avery was always consumed in a world of darkness of late. It was hard to hold onto her sanity when she hadn't changed positions in what seemed like forever. She had lost track of the days that she had been in her hospital bed at Brighton. All the time she was conscious of her surroundings was spent trying to recapture the threads of sanity holding her mind together.  
  
It was all she could do to banish the images of Aidan and his guards that tormented her dreams and waking thoughts. Somehow, she was numb to the memories and the pain. She relived them over and over in her mind, but she didn't feel them. It was a slight relief, but in the times that she could string full thoughts together, she was afraid of the unfeeling creature she had become.  
  
She reached a mental probe out of her mind, and she met up with a filthy blood red shield that kept her from moving and reaching out to someone with her mind. The shock of touching something so polluted with pain and blood left her mind reeling as she tried to regain control over her thought train.  
  
Her mind seethed in another surge of terror at the unexpected sound of a door creaking open slowly on rusted hinges. All of the emotions she had been blocking out came together in one blinding mass as she lay unthinkingly in her hospital bed. With the loss of her other senses, Avery's sense of hearing was magnified tenfold, making all of the sounds seem to attack her. Footsteps plodded their way closer to her, and she heard someone sit down with an air of reluctance next to her bed.  
  
Avery's mind finally cleared, and she remembered where she was. She was in Brighton; she was safe. She was far away from the brutal men who had raped her, safe from harm. She listened intently for sounds indicating the newcomer's intentions, but the room was silent. The silence seemed to ache with regret as it rang piercingly in her ears.  
  
Avery felt a soft touch brush against her cold cheek. She inwardly shrank from the sensation, but relaxed a bit when she felt the small, warm hands gently caressing her skin. Her visitor traced the lines of her high cheekbones and sloping nose, finally resting their small hand on Avery's collarbone.  
  
"Avery, it's Alder," she heard Alder mutter quietly into the endless night. She heard the pain in Alder's voice, already flailing with despair. Avery wanted so much to sooth away all of Alder's pain, to just speak with her love.  
  
"I don't know if you can hear me. But Avery, if you can hear me, please come back," Alder whispered, desperation in her voice. "Please, Avery. I need you to come back to me; I know you can make it through the barrier. They told me that if I can't pull you back, then they will have to kill you. I couldn't live without you, Avery. I. I love you."  
  
Avery's mind pounded with the joy of hearing Alder whisper those last three words, but then reality thrashed out at her and her hopes vanished. If Alder wasn't able to break through the barrier, they were going to kill her. If, indeed, Alder could not break the spell of paralysis, then her so called 'life' would not be worth anything. She would be driven insane in the endless darkness, silence, and lack of movement. They would be doing her a favor by ending her life.  
  
She felt her hand lifted and placed in Alder's lap, and felt Alder clasp her hands tightly around her own. Alder's hands were warm, and suddenly she felt Alder's green Healing magic mixed with her personal ice-blue empathy slowly creeping into her veins. Alder's Healing magic eased her cramping muscles as it crept from her fingertips up to her shoulder blades. It spread out past her collar bone and extended through the rest of her body, each inch of her body regaining feeling as Alder worked. The trickle of ice-blue empathy spread all through her body, sinking deep into the very matter that made up her body.  
  
The ice-blue magic crawled slowly up her neck, and spread over her lips gently, making them tingle. The magic progressed past her nose, and over her eyelids, filling her mind with visions of everything that Alder was projecting.  
  
Alder was projecting pure, undying love. A feeling that she would love Avery forever, no matter what, would always be there for her. A love that radiated warmth, untainted. An intense devotion that had no restraints, no restrictions. And as these emotions were projected to her brain, her mind became so overwhelmed that she lost consciousness, and knew no more.  
  
  
  
Avery came back into consciousness some time later, how long, she didn't know. She had no concept of time when her eyes had been closed for so long. Her hand was still placed in Alder's, and she could still feel Alder's magic pulsating through her veins, slightly dulled.  
  
"Bright the day," she heard Alder whisper through choked tears. And slowly, Avery opened her eyes.  
  
Alder sat quietly, staring out into the gray clouds. Tears fell down her cheeks, but she did not move to stop their flow. Her face was blotchy; she looked as if she had been crying for hours. To see Alder look so hopeless broke her heart.  
  
"Bright the day," Avery heard her own voice croak with disuse. "But the day is not bright, unfortunately. While some of my friends take unholy pleasure in this bitter weather, I, on the other hand, consider myself sane," Avery whispered.  
  
Alder closed her eyes, tears renewed, streaming down her cheeks. "Imagining things. This has to be a joke," Alder said, almost pleading the empty sky for answers. Avery quietly hoisted herself into a sitting position, pulling on Alder's hand, and pulling her close to Avery.  
  
Avery cupped her hand on Alder's cheek. "Is this a joke?" she said throatily, and lowered her lips to Alder's, and enjoyed the soft, gentle kiss and blinding happiness of being reunited again. 


End file.
